First Return Date
by archangelBBQ
Summary: Mai's life wasn't perfect, but she thought it was pretty good. Surrounded by friends, a good job, and she was in love with her best friend of five years—and was pretty sure he felt the same way about her. Small detail that they lived on different continents and they'd never met face to face. Then a client came along who claimed to know her; after that nothing would be the same. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**First Return Date**

Chapter 1

It was raining that day, the morning he stepped off the busy Tokyo street and into the cool, quiet lobby, folding shut and dropping his umbrella into the bin at the front door. The lobby attendant showed him to the lift which shot up smoothly, bell chiming and elevator doors opening to the 22nd floor. There he crossed through large glass doors, frosted letters reading "Jenkins Watkins & Bell PLLC" as the receptionist unlocked the door and waved him through.

"Good morning, how can I help you today?"

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised to see a non-Japanese face at an international law firm in downtown Tokyo, but it _did_ surprise him to be addressed in English rather than in Japanese. The young woman at the receptionist desk had good instincts, however, as he was much more comfortable speaking in English even though he appeared Japanese himself.

"I've got a letter saying I should get legal advice." He pulled the item in question out of his inner jacket pocket, fingering the paper and wondering if he had to open it in front of her or how many details he would have to go into.

"Certainly, may I ask what type of matter it is?"

"I've.." He hesitated for only a moment. "Split up with my partner. Recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The receptionist was already nodding sympathetically, eyes roaming her computer screen. "But yes, family law, certainly we can assist you with that. Are there any children involved?"

He could have laughed at the thought. "Children? No."

She was clicking her mouse, pulling something up on her computer screen he could not see. "We have two lawyers who specialise in family law property matters, but it looks like Ms Yoshida is booked out settling court matters all next week and wouldn't be free for a consultation until next fortnight. Our other associate is Mr Gill Thompson. I might just call Mai up and see if she can meet you now. She's Mr Thompson's secretary, she can make the appointment and if you have any questions she should be able to answer them." She didn't wait for a reply from him before picking up the phone at her desk, speaking quickly and quietly. "Mai, are you free? Could you come up for a tic?"

With her attention diverted his eyes had wandered from the front desk to the décor of the room which was a contemporary—and yet very conservative—fusion of traditional Japanese and something which was somehow indescribably English. _We are an English law firm with an office in Japan_ , the décor seemed to proclaim. He imagined that just as this office had an ikebana floral display on the table and a set of ukiyo-e woodblock prints on the wall, the firm's office in St Petersburg might be decorated with the exact same furniture only with matryoshka dolls on display and a prominent painting of the Kremlin.

"What's your surname?"

He turned his head back to her, she was typing something into the computer again.

"Davis."

"Are you an existing client of the firm?"

"No, I've never been here before, but my parents are clients in your London office."

"Oh, I see." She smiled, somewhat hesitant and embarrassed. "You're British? I thought I heard an accent, but I'm terrible at that sort of thing."

"Yeah." It was the simple answer, at least. "I take it not all your clients are British?"

"Oh, no, not at all. We've got an international team and have international clients. Once I mistook a New Zealand accent for Australia and a South African accent for New Zealand—" she broke off, blushing. "Now I never assume."

"Well, Kiwi and Aussie accents can sound quite similar," he offered. She still looked embarrassed, however, so he continued. "I certainly couldn't place regional American accents, apart from Boston and Texas."

Her face brightened at that but before she could respond a young woman came around the corner from the hall leading back into the office, a short brunette with short hair cropped just below her chin, wearing simple, everyday office work clothes: a white blouse, gray skirt, black stockings and black shoes. She was not particularly striking or out-of-the-ordinary beautiful, but something when he saw her made his breath hitch, the sight of her face catching him by surprise. It was highly unlikely they'd ever met her before and yet something about her was so familiar that he felt like he _knew_ her. More than that something about seeing her put him instantly at ease.

"Mr Davis, this is Mai. Mai, this is Mr Davis. His parents are clients in our London office but this is his first time seeing us."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed first and then shook his hand, oblivious to his scrutiny as he tried to place her. "I understand you need an appointment regarding a family law matter?"

"Yes." He was still holding the letter and he fumbled slightly as he unfolded it, the prominent letterhead of the other firm above a long letter of small typed print. "My ex and I split up a couple months ago. I just got back from a long time away for work and received this."

Mai took a look at the paper and nodded. He was vaguely aware of the phone ringing and the receptionist speaking behind them, but his attention was held by the slight furrow of her brow as she considered it, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear and the hint of a sweet scent when she raised her wrist.

"This may seem a strange question, but may I ask if you're both resident of Japan?" She pursed her lips slightly. "It's just that they've addressed the letter to a London postal address..."

"Yeah, they ended up emailing it to me in the end. She doesn't have my current address here." He frowned. "We're both British citizens, if that's what you mean, but we're both on long-term work visas."

"I see." Mai nodded slowly. "I don't mean to sound like I'm prying—"

"No, no, that's quite all right," he interrupted.

"I just thought it'd be best to ascertain from the beginning whether they're aiming for a property settlement under Japanese or British law. This firm—Roberts Jones & Halloran—" she pointed to the letterhead. "As you may know it's another English firm. If you're both British they may be looking to split assets held in Japan and held in the UK..."

"For fuck's sake," he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, and instantly regretted his outburst as a flush of pink colored her cheeks. He hadn't spoken loud enough for the words to be audible, but she got the gist. "I'm sorry," he said, running a hand over his brow. "It's just the last thing I wanted."

"Of course. Although that may be a worst-case scenario, obviously I'm not aware of how amicable things are between you..."

He couldn't help the sardonic laugh. "Considering she's got a lawyer sending me this letter and I got a text saying she'll take me to court if I don't cooperate, I wouldn't say things are exactly amicable." He ran his hand through his hair, embarrassed. "This is the first I've heard she wants to split our assets though."

"I understand it's upsetting to receive a letter like this out of the blue," Mai said, and he was surprised to hear a voice without pity, but understanding and compassion. "Because of the firm involved and the date on the letter, it would be prudent to reply sooner rather than later," she said. "That particular firm has a reputation of commencing proceedings when an out of court settlement could be achieved. Mr Thompson's next available appointment is next Tuesday morning—would you free at 10:00?"

He pulled his mobile out of his pocket to check his calendar, thumb scrolling through the days. "Tuesday morning's fine. I'm going away Wednesday for a week for work, is that alright?"

"Of course. Mr Thompson will discuss everything with you during your appointment, but I don't imagine there would be any issue. In the meantime I'll just take down your phone number.." she reached for a pad and took it down as he recited it for her.

"What if they send me another letter while I'm away?"

"You can forward it to us." She had first scribbled the time on the pad before writing his appointment details down on a card in neat handwriting which she handed to him with both hands. "Mr Thompson's direct email address is on the back. Of course he'll will discuss this with you during your appointment, but the first thing we'll do is to let them know we're acting for you and ask them to direct any correspondence to our office. You shouldn't receive any further correspondence direct from them." She smiled up at him with a tilt of her head, the expression both genuine and gentle. "You travel a lot for work, then, don't you? Just around Japan or internationally as well?"

"A bit of both. Gotta go where the work is."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a psychic."

"Really?" She didn't seem as surprised as he would have thought, but the expression on her face was not the polite feigned interest he was used to encountering, either. "I've never met a professional psychic before."

"Just amateurs?"

"I suppose so." She laughed and handed him the appointment card. "We'll see you next Tuesday, Mr Davis."

"It's Eugene. Call me Gene."

"Gene." She smiled at him, eyes warm. "Nice to meet you."

He hadn't seen the receptionist leave her desk behind them, but as he realised it was empty and they were alone the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to consider them. "This is going to sound cheesy, but have we met somewhere before? You seem really familiar. I swear I must know you."

"Is that just because you're psychic?" Mai asked with a grin.

"No, I'm being serious. Have we met before?"

She studied him for a moment and he thought, _surely_ , she was going to say yes. As she paused he was able to take in her appearance and commit it to memory: her nut brown eyes were large and wide-set on her face which on first take gave her an appearance of child-like innocence, but her gaze was intense, thoughtful, mature. It was this intensity as she held his gaze that made him certain she felt the same way. But she averted her eyes and shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

He didn't know what compelled him to say what he did next. "Would it be too forward if I asked you out on a date?"

She laughed then, a rue smile finding its way onto her lips, but her gaze still evaded his. "Probably, yes."

"You're probably right." He slid the letter along with the appointment card back into his jacket pocket. "Until next Tuesday, then."

She bowed politely as he turned to leave, but he turned back, hand raised as the question came to him. "What's your surname, Mai?"

Her lips lifted in a small smile. "Taniyama."

"Taniyama.." he repeated, and shook his head. "No, I don't know it. But I'm sure we've met before. And I'm sure I'll remember by Tuesday!" With that he lifted a hand in parting, closing the office door behind him and stepping into the waiting lift.

When he reached the lower lobby he could see the the rain had stopped. Pulling his umbrella out of the bin, he couldn't stop the smile from spreading over his face as he stepped onto the street. It looked like it might turn into a sunny day after all.

…

Morning had long dragged into afternoon yet Mai's thoughts kept returning to the new client, recalling his dark eyes and his warm smile. She wondered if he truly believed they'd met before, as he'd insisted, and she racked her memory, trying to dredge up some prior meeting they might have had together but she came up with a blank. He _was_ familiar, but only in the way that a handsome stranger who says they know you that you've never met before would seem familiar.

Mai sighed and pushed her hair back behind her ear, pencil hovering over the document she was working on. She really needed to put it aside and concentrate. And yet a part of her wanted to keep replaying that moment in her mind, the moment he smiled and tentatively asked her out. When was the last time someone had asked her out on a date?

"Stop it, Mai," she whispered under her breath. "Seriously. You're being silly. It's not like you can say yes, even if you wanted to. Besides, how would you tell—" She stopped herself as the door opened, not wanting to be caught talking to herself.

It was her boss. The office environment was casual by all standards and everyone called each other by their first name, which Mai still couldn't get used to. She had worked for Gill for just over three years now and they got along quite well. He confided in her the way all of the lawyers confided in their personal secretaries, and because of the age gap Mai felt sometimes he was like a father figure. He was a tall and lanky Englishman, middle aged and a small balding patch in his greying hair.

Now he was carrying a stack of files and he looked sheepish as he pushed the door open, glasses sliding down his nose with both hands committed and he couldn't push them back up. Mai usually took her work to him in his office rather than the other way around, so every time he came into the room she shared with one of the part-time secretaries he still looked a little embarrassed, as if he was intruding.

"Not trying to rush you, but have you finished with the Ikeda file?" He asked as he set the stack of files down. She winced inwardly at the sight, knowing the amount work that was contained in them. "Just thought I'd get a head start finalising the court documents while I've got the afternoon free."

"I was about to bring it down, I've just finishing the balance sheet. The financial statement and affidavit are already typed."

"Oh, thank you." He hovered for a moment as she collected the papers she was working on, paper clipping some and stapling others. "That'll be good. Do you have anything else you want to go through?"

"No, that's it," she said, passing him the file. It was all she'd worked on all afternoon.

"You got the memo about holiday leave? I'm taking Christmas to New Years off and you're welcome to as much time as you want. We're not as swamped as usual so it shouldn't be a problem. Hiromi just wants to have a few weeks notice before year end."

"I'll let you know by next week," Mai said. "What dates I want to take off."

"Oh, and I saw there was a new client in for next Tuesday. Did he call in?"

Mai nodded. "His ex-partner has engaged Robert Jones..." She let her voice trail off.

It was her boss's turn to wince and Mai nodded sympathetically. "Of all the firms.." he muttered disdainfully. Many of the lawyers among the different firms got along quite amicably outside of court, but Roberts Jones & Halloran—or Robert Jones as everyone referred to them—had a reputation of being difficult. "Pat said he was pretty young. I might just give him a ring and introduce myself, see what we've got ahead of us..."

Mai gave him a supportive smile and he nodded to himself as he left, but couldn't help rolling her eyes after the door had closed. Calling the new client was only Gill's way of procrastinating on the Ikeda case. That particular matter was in court in two weeks, but two weeks away was still two weeks away, no matter how many times the client called or how often she might press him to get it done. He preferred everything at the last minute but Mai hated it and the unnecessary stress it caused.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the office phone switchboard, seeing Gill's line light up. What would Gill say if he knew the new client had asked her out? She couldn't help but close her eyes and pray he would never find out.

She didn't have long to dwell on the fact when her phone buzzed on the desk in front of her and the blink of the light with a new message. She didn't have to pick it up to know it would be Keiko, who would have just gotten off of work herself.

 _We still on for tonight? Ya-yo 7~~~ Be there or be square xxx ~K_

…

Keiko had been waiting in front of the bar Ya-yo for only five minutes when she saw her friend come around the corner. "Mai~!" she squealed, hurrying forward and putting her arm through hers, pulling her forward. "It's Friday night! Are you ready to start the weekend off right?"

"You've been waiting for this all week, haven't you?"

"You know it," Keiko said with a laugh, smiling at the host as they entered the bar and following him down a narrow, dimly lit hall to a private room where they sat down at a low table. Keiko turned to the host as Mai took off her coat. "I've got a bottle of shochu at the bar, under Iwasaki Keiko," she told him, who nodded and left them with a short bow. She turned back to her friend, eyebrow raised. "Don't try to tell me you haven't been looking forward to this too."

"Of course I have," Mai laughed, but she ran her hands through her hair and rested her elbows against the table. "It's just.. just been a really long week."

"They work you too hard there," Keiko frowned, taking off her coat and putting it aside. "You've never been stressed out before the way you are now. It's too much work."

"There's a lot of work," Mai conceded, and they both turned as a young man rapped on the door before sliding it open, Keiko's bottle of shochu liquor, two glasses and a bowl of ice on a tray. "The problem is it's just Shiho and me. They need another part-time secretary who can help us." She rubbed her temples. "Or maybe a full-time secretary."

Keiko nodded as she unscrewed the top of the bottle, pouring into the glasses. "Something to worry about on Monday, right? Right now it's time to drink and relax and unwind," she proclaimed, lifting her glass and clinking it against Mai's own proffered glass. "Cheers!"

"Cheers," Mai laughed, and they both drank. "So how's Taku?" she asked, and Keiko grinned at the chance to talk about her own life. Mai had always been the best listener out of all her friends, one of the only ones who seemed genuinely interested with the mundane goings-on.

"What about you? Anything of interest happen this week?" Keiko asked, deciding she had monopolized the conversation long enough and topped up Mai's glass and then smiling as her friend re-filled her own.

"Well..." Mai hesitated and Keiko could see she wasn't sure if she wanted to share, but after nudging her foot Mai laughed and gave in. "I had a new client ask me out on a date today," she admitted, looking sheepish and covering her smile with her hands.

"What?" A moment sooner and Keiko would have spat out her drink. "No way! What happened?"

"Well," Mai took a sip of her drink, "New _new_ client. He came in for the first time today. He said I looked familiar and swore he knew me from somewhere before, but before he left he asked me out. Well—sorta," she backtracked. "To be more accurate, I guess you could say he asked _if_ he could ask me out."

"You don't think you might've known him, right? Sounds like a lame pick up line."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Are you gonna tell your online boyfriend?"

"What? _No_ ," Mai said quickly, blushing. "Even if he were my boyfriend, I wouldn't tell him. _Especially_ if he was my boyfriend. He'd just get jealous—"

"And, what, maybe get on a plane and actually _visit_ you?" Keiko rolled her eyes. "Where's he live again? Ireland?"

"England," Mai supplied firmly. Keiko knew she was awful at remembering details and Mai had to remind her every time the subject came up.

"I don't know why I always think he lives in Ireland," Keiko muttered. "Besides the point. You've known him how long now?"

Mai took a drink. "About five years."

"Five years and he hasn't made an indication—"

"Keiko, it's not like that—" Mai interrupted.

"What I'm _trying_ to say," Keiko held up a hand to shush her friend. "Boyfriend or not, maybe you should give this guy a shot! I'm not saying you have to settle down and marry him, just go on a date or two! Was he good looking?"

"He was _devastatingly_ good looking," Mai groaned, covering her face in her hands. " _And_ he was friendly, and seemed to have a good sense of humor, and had an interesting job.."

"Oh? What does he do?"

Mai hid even deeper into her hands. "...you'll laugh."

"No I won't!" Keiko pressed, then prodded her again with her fingers against her arm. "Please? Tell me?"

"...he said he's a psychic."

"He's perfect for you!" Keiko crowed, jabbing her friend beneath the ribs so that Mai had to drop her hands away from her face as she squirmed. "What's the problem? Next time you see him just smile coquettishly and say you've changed your mind." She held her hands up beneath her chin in pantomime, fingers cupping into a heart. "Love at first sight on both ends of the spectrum my friend. You can't pass this up."

"It's not love at first sight!" Mai protested. "Besides, I can't, he's a _client_ ," she groaned. "Maybe it'd be different if I had a different boss and did Estates or something—"

"What, and hook up with bereaved clients who have just lost their loved ones? _That's_ creepy, Mai."

"—Okay, bad example. But it's _family law_ ," Mai all but ignored the interruption, picking up her drink again. "Even when it's amicable it's messy, Keiko. It's always complicated. And I'll know way too much about him. Not to mention it's completely unprofessional. I could probably get fired."

"Well, what if after everything's all done and dusted and tidied up?" She made a shooing motion with her hands. "How long does it usually take for couples to come to agreement, anyway? Date him when he's no longer a client."

"That depends on whether they commence proceedings," Mai groaned. She sighed as she set down her drink, the glass empty but for a couple ice cubes at the bottom and reached for the bottle they were sharing to refill Keiko's glass. "But I can't. I just _can't_."

"Fine, fine." Keiko sighed in resignation. Even if she wanted to press the subject she would have to let it go for now. As Mai set the bottle down Keiko picked it up, refilling the other glass in turn. "On to important stuff, apart from your love life. It's nearly the end of November and we haven't made any plans for our annual February onsen trip."

"We need to make our booking!" Mai straightened, counting on her fingers. "February's less than three months away. Where do you want to go?"

"I saw a documentary on a onsen in Nagano Prefecture which might be perfect." Keiko pulled her mobile out of her pocket, thumbs scrolling to her email. She'd sent herself the link as a reminder. "I'll send you the page, if you're happy with it I'll reserve a room this weekend."

"Probably the end of February will be better for my work. I decided I'm going to try to take a couple extra days off at New Years."

"Oh, are you doing something special?" Keiko raised her eyebrows over her glass. "You never take extra time off for New Years. Usually you're straight back to work after your first shrine visit."

Mai blushed and swirled the ice cube in her glass. "I haven't decided yet. I thought I might take an overseas trip."

Keiko gasped and clutched Mai's hand. "To Ireland—England!" she corrected, eyes wide. "Right?"

"I haven't asked him about it yet," Mai said quickly. "I thought it might be fun to meet. It was just—just an idea I had. I've always wanted to go to England."

"Mai – that's a great idea!" Keiko squealed, clapping her hands in excitement. "I can just see it now—"

"Calm down, he may not even want to meet me—"

"He is an absolute _dolt_ if he doesn't want to see you."

"Keiko, just _why_ are you so set on finding me a boyfriend?" Mai interrupted sternly. "My life doesn't revolve around having a significant other. I already have such good friends—"

"Yes, yes, _but_ , I just want you to be happy." Keiko pouted and threw her arm around her friend. "What'll you do if I die in a tragic accident? Who will take care of you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "And I'm staying, by the way. I'll keep an eye on you from the other side. Not to mention I'm gonna haunt that ass that kills me."

"You will," Mai laughed, leaning her head into her shoulder. "I know you will."

…

Kicking off her shoes as she entered her apartment, Mai dropped her purse on the kitchen table and made her way into her bedroom, flopping face first onto the futon left out on the floor. It had been a long week and it was probably a bad idea to have stayed out so late with Keiko, but they always had fun when they got together. Even though Keiko had a much higher tolerance than she and Mai always thought she drank too much when they were together.

Her mobile buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket and toward her face, blinking at the screen without moving her head.

 _Current case. Thought you might like to see this_.

The text accompanied a photo taken of a computer monitor and Mai squinted, trying to make it out. She knew it was a graph of readings or something, but she couldn't decipher what it actually was. "Naru, I can't bloody see it," she muttered, lifting her hand and keying in a one word reply. _Explain?_

To her surprise the phone rang in her hand. " _I'm surprised you're still awake_ ," the voice said on the other end of the line as she answered.

"Barely," she replied, rolling over onto her back and stifling a yawn. "Keiko and I went out. I just got home."

" _Oh._ _Fun night of karaoke?_ " He spoke the words somewhat stiffly, Mai knew because he had certainly never done a night of karaoke in his life and found it difficult to comprehend when she told him she did things like that.

"Keiko just wanted to get together and blow off some steam." Mai yawned again. "Tell me about your case? What's that photo?"

She could hear his hesitation. " _It's nothing_ _pressing_ _,_ _I'll email you about it later. You should go to sleep._ "

"You rang me, didn't you? It's gotta be good." She closed her eyes and dropped her arm over her face, blocking the weak light from the lamp. "I just can't see what it is very well, I can't read the words on the graph and the lines are too small."

" _It's a chart showing the temperatures gauges from the past week. Every night at precisely 8:00pm the temperature begins to dip. It levels out around 10 degrees by 9:00 and holds steady until 12:00am every night, at which time the temperature begins to rise._ _Obviously, not much, as it's the middle of the night, but eventually the indoor heating system catches up._ "

"Wow—every night?"

" _It is surprisingly regular with no variation. Over the past few days we've had some warmer and some cooler days, but it's interesting to note the temperature falls to the same degree_ _and at the same rate,_ _no matter what the starting temperature of the room is. I'm hoping data from a case like this can prove a causal relationship between supernatural activity and drops in temperature._ _We've got some good footage already._ _"_

"Any poltergeisting?"

" _Rapping, knocking and moving furniture_."

"Sounds like you have your hands full."

" _It's a full on case,_ " he agreed. " _But apart from the regularity of the data, nothing out of the ordinary."_

"Do you know what's causing it yet? Or who?"

" _I have a pretty good idea. Tomorrow I should be able to confirm it._ "

"And you won't tell me?" She stuck her lips out in a pout, knowing full well he couldn't see her. "Tell me, please? It might help you think it out to explain it out loud," she reasoned.

" _No, I'm still missing a crucial piece_." He said firmly, but gently. " _It wouldn't make any sense if I tried to explain it now._ _I can't risk clouding my own judgement by getting too set on this hypothesis. I could be completely wrong._ " Sensing her coming protest, he continued. _"How about I call you tomorrow_ _afternoon. By then I'll know if_ _I was right or not. I'll tell you then._ "

"Deal. No takebacks." Mai rolled over onto her side, pulling the duvet over her body. "I'm sure you're right, anyway. Are you ever wrong?"

" _Sometimes_." She thought she could hear him smile. " _Not often._ " She could hear the typing or clicking of a computer and as she lay there, eyes closed, she tried to imagine the life of a paranormal researcher, something she'd heard so much about throughout their five years of correspondence but still found difficult to understand.

"I wish I could see you at work. What it really means to be on one of your cases."

" _It's a lot less glamorous than people usually assume._ " The clicking stopped. " _Your talents would be wasted on something like this, anyway._ "

"I'd still like to see."

" _S_ _omeday._ "

Mai opened her eyes again and took a deep breath, gathering her courage. She hadn't planned on asking him like this, she'd wanted to choose her words and plan what to say, not just impulsively throwing it out there. But he'd said 'someday' and the word spurred her on. "Say, Naru? I was thinking.. I mean, I have to put in my leave request for New Years soon, and I've always wanted to travel so I thought… I was thinking maybe I'd go to England, and if you're free you can show me around?" She held her breath, anxious for his response.

It was a long pause before he spoke. " _I don't know if that will work._ " Her stomach dropped at the instant rejection and she lay very still, eyes wide and tears forming against her will. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, trying to breathe evenly.

"I-I mean," she tried to laugh but the sound was forced. "You don't have to show me around, I just thought we could meet up—"

" _I've already made plans to come to Japan_ _for New Years_ _._ "

Mai was struck dumb and she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling, not comprehending. "You're… coming to Japan?"

" _I was going to ask you tonight, actually, if you wanted to meet. I don't have a set itinerary yet. I don't know how many days I would be in Tokyo. If you have time, maybe you could come with me to Mount Koya. I would like to go for the New Year's ritual._ "

"Ab-absolutely!" Mai wiped at her eyes again which were threatening to spill onto her cheeks. "I told you I have a friend from Mount Koya, right? Tell me what days you're going to be here and I'll be free anytime!"

He laughed lightly. " _Go to sleep, Mai._ _I'll email you dates tomorrow."_

"I'm holding you to it. If you delay I'm going to harass you until you don't want to come anymore," she warned, but her voice came out more like a plea.

" _I'll send_ _my flight details_ _with_ _a pdf of the data._ _That way_ _you don't have to try to see it in that terrible photo._ " He laughed again, the sound filling her entire body with a relaxed warmth. It was only recently that she'd heard him laugh when they spoke together, even though they'd started talking on the phone about a year ago. " _Good night, Mai_. _I'll call you tomorrow._ "

"Good night, Naru." Mai whispered. She held the phone against her body, the timbre of his voice still filling her ears after the line had disconnected.

She was going to see him next month. A smile spread involuntarily over her lips at the thought. Next month—four weeks to meet the man she was in love with. She knew it was crazy, absurd. To be in love with someone whose face she'd never seen, to love someone when she had no idea what he thought about her. But their friendship had come a long way from the internet message boards where she'd first met him, from emails to texting to regular phone calls.

Mai closed her eyes, pulling the duvet over her head, smiling to herself in the darkness, all other thoughts from the day gone. All she thought of was him. Remembering his voice. His laugh. The sound of his smile.

She knew it was absurd to think, but she thought he must love her too.

…

 _Happy (belated, belated) birthday Meepyonnee~~~~~ you probably didn't ask for a romcom but a romcom is what you get. It's not much but I hope you enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mai groaned as the sunlight hit her face, rolling over to hide her face in her pillow as if she might be able to forget she'd woken up and return to the slumber from which she'd been so abruptly taken. The merry jingle from her phone sounded again and she groped for the offending object, finding it and silencing it with a beep. Pulling it toward her, she squinted again at the screen—she hadn't set the alarm, and certainly not _that_ obnoxious song—only to see the message Keiko had written.

 _Rise and shine sleepyhead! Don't be angry, you said you had errands to run and you couldn't sleep in. So, I saved you by setting your alarm. I think you owe me one xxx ~K_

Mai couldn't help but laugh and covered her face with her hands. "Keiko, how could you?" She protested to the empty room. "You know I can't fall back asleep now. Now I have to get up while you're probably still sleeping, that's really not fair."

Mai sighed and kicked off her duvet. Minutes later she was humming to herself as she dressed, pulling on casual clothes for a normal Saturday morning routine. She wanted to tidy her apartment and she had washing to do, grocery shopping and then she wanted to head downtown to her favorite bookstore. It was something she'd been putting off for a while, her weekends either too busy, prior engagements with friends, or too rainy to bring herself to leave the apartment—but today was clear, bright, sunny, and she had no obligations to anyone other than herself.

In the kitchen, Mai set the kettle to boil and set her phone on the table, tapping on the link Keiko had sent her the night before. It looked like a beautiful onsen tucked in a small valley in Nagano Prefecture. The accommodation was within their price range and it would only be a two or three hours by train. If Keiko was happy with it there was no reason to look any further—after all, they would always go somewhere different next year.

They'd been taking annual February trips to different onsen around Japan ever since they graduated high school. It used to be an excursion for herself, Keiko, and Michiru—but Michiru had stopped coming two years ago after the birth of her second child. Mai couldn't blame her, after all she had her hands full with her family, but it still pained her to think how far apart they'd grown in the four short years since Michiru got married. Nights like last night were of course out of the question, but the onsen trip was the one thing the three had tried to hold onto.

Michiru's second child had changed that. Now the annual holiday was a trip for just her and Keiko. Keiko had initially taken Michiru's departure from the trio harder than she had; Michiru and Keiko had been inseparable since primary school and Mai had only come along to join the group in junior high. Now Mai only saw Michiru once every few months at best, catching up over coffee, but she knew Keiko called her friend every other week and dropped in with gifts for the children.

Mai sighed to herself as she poured the tea, vaguely wondering if Keiko would ever get married and if their onsen trip would then disappear altogether. Reaching to her phone she flicked the page back to her inbox, her frown deepening, shoulders slumping as she set the phone back on the table. There was no email from Naru.

She rubbed her head with her hands, mussing up her short hair. Had she scared him off? Had he changed his mind? Or was he just busy with his case? If nothing else she thought he would have wanted to show her the data he'd been so pleased about the night before, but there was nothing.

"You're always impatient," she reminded herself aloud, turning her back on the phone as she started to get her breakfast together. "Just wait for once and don't bother him." She was just sitting back down with toast when the phone began to ring.

" _Gooooood morning_ ," a sing-song voice greeted her. " _And how are you on this fine_ _day_ _?_ "

"Ayako, do you know what time it is? Aren't you calling a bit early for a Saturday?"

" _You're awake, aren't you? I wouldn't call if I thought you'd still be sleeping._ "

"Well, I would be if I had any sense," Mai retorted. "It'd be nice to sleep in every once in a while."

" _What, did you have a l_ _ate night?_ " The tone was half sympathetic, half mocking. " _Keiko drag you out_ _until all hours_ _again? Girl, I don't know how you do it._ "

"She didn't drag me out, don't say that."

" _You know me, I'm only teasin_ _g._ _Anyway, I'm just calling about two things. First, do_ _you have plans_ _this_ _afternoon?_ "

Mai nibbled on the inside of her lip in a moment's hesitation. She didn't have any set plans but she'd been looking forward to an entire weekend to herself. Then she decided she wouldn't lie—but also wouldn't say yes only to please her friend. Weekends like this were so rare and Ayako would understand if she turned her down. "Yeah, I'm free. Why? What's up?"

" _Mother's invited me over for tea. She asked after you when she called, I thought I'd just see if you'd like to come along._ _She'd love to see you._ "

Mai could have breathed a sigh of relief. Tea with Ayako and her mother—a low-stress, low-key event. This she didn't mind. "Sounds nice. Thanks for thinking of me."

" _Pshh, it was her, not me_ ," Ayako grumbled. Mai laughed and could just imagine the other woman examining her nails in feigned indifference.

"What time? Should I bring anything?"

" _Nah, just yourself. Three o'clock_."

"What's the other thing?"

" _Right,_ _I'_ _ve decided to_ _hav_ _e_ _a Christmas party at my place._ _I haven't set a date_ _yet but I'm thinking_ _Saturday_ _, three weeks from now._ _I want you to be there, though, so i_ _f you can't make it I could always do Friday night instead._ "

"I'm free," Mai said, scribbling the date on a scrap of paper that was sitting on the table. "A Christmas party? That's unlike you, I thought you'd rather do a year-end party instead."

" _I'm just trying to get into the holiday spirit._ _And I've never done a Christmas party, I thought it'd be fun._ _Who knows? Maybe I'll do both._ "

"You just want to show off your new Roppongi apartment," Mai accused.

" _Um, yeah,_ duh _, o_ _f course I do, wouldn't you?_ " Ayako laughed. " _Anyway,_ _it'll be Christmas but it'll be pretty casual. J_ _ust be friends and some colleagues, nothing too huge."_

Mai grinned, remembering Ayako's last party. "Famous last words, Ayako. Famous last words."

…

"She _what_?"

Yasuhara tripped over himself and swung with too much force, a _thwack_ resounding in the room as the ball shot out of bounds and bounced until it rolled to a stop.

"She got a lawyer. They sent me a letter." Gene reached down and picked up the ball and made an overhand serve without waiting for his friend, who stared at him dumbly.

"What're you gonna do?" Yasuhara hit the ball but his return was still off; Gene could tell he was shaken.

"I've got a meeting with a lawyer next week." Gene hit it back but Yasuhara caught it instead, unwilling to be distracted by the game.

"Let's take five," He motioned, and walked off the court, bending to pick up his water bottle. Gene wiped the back of his neck with his towel and the two sat down on the bench. They drank in silence until Yasuhara spoke again.

"Are you okay… with this? I don't know a whole lot about this kind of thing, but it seems pretty bad. It doesn't seem like Annie at all."

Gene exhaled and stared at the water bottle in his hand. "I was over her," he admitted. " _Am_ over her. I've accepted the fact our relationship failed." He rubbed his brow, running his hand through his damp hair. "Just disappointed, I guess. That it came to this."

"It's a hell of a shock."

"It's more than that." Gene scuffed his sneaker against the floor, the rubber making a high-pitched squeak as it came in contact with the surface. "It makes me feel like she didn't know me, even after five years. If she'd asked for money I would have given it to her. She didn't need to get a lawyer involved."

"Yeah," Yasuhara snorted. "You would have given her more than she deserves."

"Don't say that," Gene said reproachfully.

"It's the truth. You compromised for her a lot. I don't think this is right." He shook his head. "I'm glad you've got a lawyer. How did you find one?"

"My parent's solicitors have an office here."

"You've told them then, right?"

Gene scratched at his temple and his mouth contorted into a grimace. "Well… yeah. Sorta."

"Mate, you gotta tell them," Yasuhara groaned. "I mean, I can't judge because I've certainly kept things from _my_ parents, but they're going to find out eventually. Sooner rather than later."

"Well… your situation was a little different." Gene admitted. "There weren't any lawyers involved."

"What about your brother?"

"He … I haven't told him." Gene sighed. "He doesn't know."

"You're sure about that?"

"No, if he found out he'd have either confronted me about it or be giving me the cold shoulder. There's no in-between." Gene laughed, a fond smile twitching at his lips. "You're right, though. I should tell them. Sooner rather than later. Noll's on a case right now, though, so I'll call him in a few days." He sighed and drank the rest of his water. "It's funny how things turn out, isn't it? I mean, I met you and Annie around the same time. But you're still here and she's…" He didn't really know how to finish his sentence and he left it hanging.

"Have we really known each other for five years now?" Yasuhara dipped his head and chuckled weakly. "In some ways it doesn't seem like it could have been that long—"

"—In other ways it seems like forever." Gene cut in with a grin.

"Do you regret it? If this is how it turned out?"

"Of course not," Gene said immediately, meeting his friend's serious gaze. "If I hadn't met Annie I also wouldn't have met you, and you're my best friend."

"Apart from your brother, of course."

Gene snorted. "He's my brother. He's different."

"Doesn't count, then?" Yasuhara laughed.

"No. Suffice to say I'm not talking to my brother about my ex-girlfriend taking legal action against me."

"Do you ever talk to Noll about your life?" Yasuhara waved his hand in a vague gesture. "Well, you know what I mean. Your personal life. Your love life."

"Not really." Gene rested his chin on his hands, smiling sadly. "Noll doesn't have anything besides his work. He doesn't understand the need for human connection. He doesn't understand why I don't feel the same." He dropped his head and ran his hands through his hair. "He'll probably be glad to hear we broke up."

"That's a bit harsh," Yasuhara winced. "I'm sure.."

"You've only met him a few times. You don't know him like I do—"

"—Well I wouldn't argue _that_ ," Yasuhara interjected. "But he cares a lot about you, Gene. _That_ I can say I know about him. He understands when things are important to you."

Gene stared at the ground, but Yasuhara kept his gaze on him steady until he nodded his agreement.

The two sat in silence for some time before Yasuhara spoke again. "Five years, huh..."

"And just gone like that." Gene spread his empty hands, looking at his palms.

"The human heart is fickle," Yasuhara reasoned quietly.

"Yeah. You can say that again." Gene agreed, his thoughts beginning to wander. Was it bad that he kept thinking about that woman he'd met the day before at the solicitor's office? On one hand, he wouldn't—couldn't—pursue her, not while he was in the middle of some complicated property settlement with an ex-girlfriend and she working as his solicitor's secretary. He wasn't stupid; he knew enough to understand the implications of his situation and her proximity to it. But on the other he knew she was the type of person he wanted to be with—in any sort of capacity. He couldn't let this chance slip him by.

"Do you have a friend named Taniyama? Taniyama Mai?"

Yasuhara tipped his head, considering for a moment. "No, I can't think of anyone I know by that name. Why?"

"Oh.. no reason in particular. I ran into someone yesterday but I can't place her. Just wondering if maybe I'd met her through you."

Yasuhara shook his head. "Not that I know of." He looked at his friend with pursed lips for a moment, then shrugged, accepting that the subject had been dropped and there was no more to say. Rising to his feet, he rested his racket over his shoulders lazily. "You on for another round before we get on with our morning?"

Gene took a last drink of water as he stood, pulling the towel from his neck and dropping it on the bench. "We're one to one—let's say best two out of three."

"You're on."

…

Mai finished with her chores and errands around midday, ate a light lunch and readied to go out, changing into one of her favorite sweaters, a woolen skirt with tights. Slipping on boots and her winter coat, she left her apartment and headed downtown toward her favorite bookstore. She passed through the revolving doors as she arrived, unaware of the small smile creeping across her features as she inhaled the scent of new paperbacks. There was something about the bright and clean atmosphere, the subdued air and the hush of the patrons, yet somehow more new and more lively than a library. Mai loved coming here; it was one of her favorite places in all of Tokyo.

She picked out some new stationary first and then climbed the stairs to the third floor where the non-fiction was shelved. She meandered toward the section of naturalistic and scientific publications and first found the aisle of foreign language materials, then the subsection of books printed in English. She was the only one in the aisle and she walked slowly, hand running along the spines of books as she browsed, pausing to read the unfamiliar names printed in small type. Naru had recommended a book to her a while ago; when she'd looked it up she'd seen it had just recently been released in Japan. She wasn't even sure if she would find it: the study of the paranormal was already at the fringes of accepted science and most bookstores wouldn't even have it in stock. Eyes narrowed as she followed the alphabetized authors, holding her breath to see if they would have it—

"Taniyama-san?"

Mai started at the sound, heart suddenly racing as if caught somewhere she shouldn't have been. She turned, eyes growing wide as she saw the man who addressed her.

"It is you!" Gene Davis smiled broadly, dipping in a short bow, one hand tucked in his jacket pocket and the other clasping a book at his side. "What a coincidence to meet you here. Nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too." Mai dipped in a short bow, returning his greeting. Unlike the previous day in the office, here he addressed her in Japanese. The language caught her off guard, as if speaking her native tongue removed him from the work setting she had associated him with. When he spoke in Japanese he seemed even more familiar and Mai couldn't help but wonder if he'd been right when he asked if they'd met before. Why did he now suddenly seem so familiar?

"I was thinking about you," he said, and Mai couldn't help but blush at the implication. "Trying to remember where we might've met."

Mai tried to will away the heat on her cheeks, flustered but genuinely curious. "Did you remember?"

"No, it still eludes me!" He feigned distress and laughed, his eyes twinkling. "At first I thought, perhaps somebody's wedding? But then I thought, no, I must remember you from somewhere a little more casual. So it couldn't be that. But I still think I'll remember. Just give me a little more time."

It was then that she noticed the title of the book under his arm. _The Paranormal Paradox_ by H. E. Porter , the very book she'd come to find. "That book…" she began, unsure of how to begin.

"Oh, this?" Gene asked, lifting the book nonchalantly. "My brother keeps nagging me to read it and I've only finally gotten around to looking for it."

Mai felt a sudden surge of interest. "Oh, is your brother a psychic too?"

"More or less." Gene's eyes were bright and he grinned. "But I don't think he'd like to be described that way. What brings you to this section? Don't tell me—"

Mai giggled and pointed at his book. "You might not believe this coincidence, but … I was after that book. I had a friend recommend it to me too. Were there any more or was it just the one copy?"

"No way!" Gene groaned. "Unbelievable! No, it was just the one." He held the book out to her. "Here, you take it."

"No, you found it first, keep it." She shook her head and pushed it back toward him. "I couldn't."

"I've put it off a few months, I can put it off a few more—" He held it out again. "Besides, after you've finished you can just lend it to me." He winked at her and this time he didn't budge when she tried to press it back. "You've got an interest in the paranormal, then?"

"Well… More or less."

He laughed, dark eyes twinkling at her response. Mai couldn't remember ever meeting anyone so cheerful and the feeling was infectious. Just seeing him smile made her warm and she was sure she was smiling at him too.

"Take it," he said again, the book still held between them.

"Thank you," she said, finally accepting it.

"What time is it, anyway?" Gene checked his watch and Mai couldn't help but notice it seemed of expensive make and brand. "Do you have any more shopping to do? Let me treat you to lunch."

"Oh—" the proposal caught her off guard, her smile faltering. "I— I can't," she said lamely. "I already ate lunch."

He grinned at her, his smile a little coy and yet still so innocent at the same time. How could he be two opposite things at once? "Then how about coffee and dessert?"

"I..." Mai floundered, not knowing what to say. On one hand she _did_ want to, very much—she wanted him to keep smiling at her, wanted him to keep talking to her. But on the other, she couldn't—couldn't because of her job, couldn't because she'd told Ayako she'd meet her at her mother's house at three o'clock.

"Are you a coffee drinker? There's a little place next door which does really nice Italian coffee and great tiramisu. Or if you'd rather tea, I think there's a traditional little tea house down one of the side streets near here with seasonal _wagashi_ sweets." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I've been there a few times, never in November or December, though. I couldn't say what their specialty might be."

"You're really familiar with this area, then?"

"I come here a lot," he said, his tone a bit bashful as if admitting something embarrassing. "Usually around lunchtime, so I have to find a place to eat. Can I treat you to something?" He held up his hands quickly, palms out. "I don't have any ulterior motives," he assured her. "I might've.. might've come on a little strong yesterday, but I think it'd just be nice to have a chat. What do you say?"

Despite herself, Mai wanted to go with him. "I—" She sighed then and shook her head, averting her gaze. "I don't want to lead you on, Gene. You seem like a really nice guy. But—"

"I know," he said quickly. "I realize that me being a client of your firm complicates things for you. But I get this feeling about you, that you're the kind of person I want to be around. I find it hard to make friends so I don't want to let one pass me by. I mean, yes, honestly, I find you personable and attractive and in different circumstances I would ask you out for a drink and a date." He said frankly and Mai felt her ears grow hot, her heart quickening in her chest.

"If you told me you didn't like me and I should just bugger off, I'd respect that. But I just want to get to know you." He stood there before her, searching her face. "Just a coffee," he finally said. "Just a chat. Just friends."

Mai couldn't bring herself to say no. What he'd said had struck a chord within her: even though she had a large group of friends there were only a few people in her inner circle and the more she spoke with Gene the more she had that birds-of-feather feeling from him. "Okay," she said instead, heart pounding. _What are you doing?_ part of her protested. _You can't meet with a client outside of work!—It's just going out for a coffee,_ the other part of her replied. _Nothing more. It's not like it's a date or anything._ "But… I told my friend I'd meet her at three o'clock," she said aloud. "So I don't have very long."

"Of course, I understand."

He followed her to the checkout, waiting for her as she purchased her items, and the two meandered out of the store onto the street.

"Couldn't ask for a more beautiful day, could you?" Gene raised his chin and gazed at the blue sky visible between the buildings. "Sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It's hard to believe we're just a few days away from December. I guess I always forget that it's like this in Tokyo, the cold weather not really setting in until after Christmas."

"You're from England, aren't you?"

"That's right, London. I guess it's pretty comparable to Tokyo—a bit more miserable, maybe," he laughed. "I never liked the weather there."

"I'd like to go to England someday," Mai said, glancing at a cafe as they passed, although Gene showed no indication of stopping. "But I've never been."

"I prefer Tokyo, but I suppose there's no place like home." Gene sighed and Mai saw an almost wistful look cross across his face, but it faded as he turned back toward her. "What about you? Are you a Tokyo native or is your hometown somewhere else?"

"No, I've always lived in Tokyo. My parents grew up here too, though my dad's hometown was in Miyagi Prefecture. I always liked visiting the country, but I'm probably more of a city girl."

"Me too. There are things I hate about the city—but I couldn't live anywhere else." Gene paused mid-stride, glancing down an alleyway.

"Have you been to that place?" Mai asked, pointing to a cafe sign a few buildings down the alley.

"No, I haven't—let's check it out."

He pushed open the door into the cozy shop and they sat facing each other at a round table, ordering from the menu when the woman tending the shop came to greet them.

"So you're interested in the paranormal?" Gene asked, slipping his coat off his shoulders after they had placed their order. Underneath he was wearing a navy blue sweater over a collared shirt. "Do you mind if I ask what got you interested in the first place? It's not a common interest."

"My mother could see spirits," Mai started, taking off her coat and folding it into the basket set beneath the table with her purse and shopping bag. "So I always believed in that sort of thing, I guess. And maybe because of the friends I had it always seemed normal—friends who had supernatural experiences of one kind or another."

"What about you? Have you ever experienced anything supernatural?"

The woman came back with a tray, placing a coffee in front of Gene, a teacup and a single-serve teapot in front of Mai, and a slice of chocolate cake for each of them.

"I think nearly everyone has experienced something they couldn't explain," Mai said slowly, pouring tea into her teapot. "If you describe 'supernatural' as something that can't be explained with the natural sciences."

"Fair enough." Gene lifted his coffee to his lips. "So tell me, what other interests do you have besides the paranormal?"

Mai laughed and took a sip of her tea. "Apart from that? Nothing very exciting, I'm afraid. I like read, go out with friends, play guitar—very badly—" she qualified and Gene laughed. "A friend gave me his starter guitar when he got a new one and I've only learned a few chords." She shook her head as she placed the teacup back on the table. "I'm afraid I'm not a particularly interesting person."

"Don't say that," Gene said with a kind smile. "You sell yourself short. What sort of books do you like to read?"

"Fiction, non-fiction… anything."

"I think well-read people don't get the credit they deserve. I know I should read more but it's hard to make time." He took a drink of his coffee. "And I think that's great you're learning guitar. I played violin at school and haven't touched it in five years. Last time I went back to my parents' house I thought I'd start playing again, so I brought it back with me." He laughed and shook his head. "Of course it's been sitting in the corner in my apartment and I haven't touched it since."

"Well, you're busy with your work," Mai justified.

"And likewise for you," Gene said. He picked up his fork and portioned off a bite of his chocolate cake. "So tell me, what would you do if you had more time? Say you didn't have to work. Money isn't an issue. You wake up tomorrow and—?" he left the question hanging.

"That's a hard question," Mai protested.

"Easy questions are never any fun," he teased back, taking another bite of cake.

Mai poured the rest of the tea before answering. "I would like to travel more," she confessed, gazing at the amber liquid. "Around Japan and around the world. I've never been outside of Japan. But I wouldn't want to travel forever. I think I would get lonely. What I would really like—I suppose it's become my dream in the back of my mind—to have a little cafe like this." She gestured around them. "I like to blend tea. Someday, maybe I'll be able to quit my job as a secretary and start up my own place."

Gene was gazing at her with a small smile and Mai felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "That's great," he told her. "I think that's a fantastic goal. I'm sure you'll make it."

Mai averted her gaze and took a bite of cake. "What about you? What would you do if you didn't have to work and money was no object?"

"Hmmm, if I didn't work?" Gene tipped his head back and forth, considering. "The problem is I like my job. I consider myself quite lucky in that regard. I do love to travel, but what I'd really like to do is go mountain climbing. Learn to surf, go snorkeling. Read more books. And then of course I'd like to actually pick up my violin once a week." He flashed a grin at her and Mai couldn't help but laugh.

"It's hard, isn't it? To make time to do the things we want to do."

"That's the truth."

They both took bites of cake at the same time and they lapsed into quiet. Gene spoke first, setting down his now empty coffee cup.

"I still can't believe we were both after _The Paranormal Paradox_ , today of all days. It's quite the coincidence first to run into someone looking for the same book, second that it's a person I've met before, and third that you're getting it on a recommendation, just like me. You said your friend recommended it to you?"

"That's right." Mai felt a twinge of guilt ripple through her as she thought of Naru. "I suppose my friend must work in a similar field as you. He works for a psychic research firm overseas."

"Really? Same here."

"You work for a psychic research firm?" Mai frowned a little, tipping her head. "When you said you were a psychic, I didn't realize quite what that meant. I guess I thought you did freelance work or something."

Gene chuckled, taking the last bite of his cake. "People usually do," he admitted. "Something about saying you're psychic and people imagine a tent and a crystal ball, but what I do is a long way from reading people's fortunes or predicting the future. To be honest, the psychic bit is more of my specialty. I help run a psychic research firm. We're based in Shibuya—Shibuya Psychic Research."

"Wait, _you're_ the head of SPR?" Mai exclaimed, nearly dropping her tea cup. If it hadn't already been empty she would have spilled.

"Well, technically I'm the assistant manager," he corrected quickly.

Mai felt her head begin to spin. If only Ayako had ever used his _name_ when talking about her boss, not that silly nickname she liked to use—otherwise Mai would have known right away who he was. She knew a lot more about him than he knew about her, and about his girlfriend—or ex-girlfriend, as she now must be.

"You're familiar with us, then?" Gene asked brightly.

"Um." Mai found she didn't know what to say. "Matsuzaki Ayako… is a very old friend of mine. So I've heard her talk about her work with you."

"So _that's_ why I know you! It must be!" Gene proclaimed, eyes lighting up. "Right? You must have visited the office, Ayako always has friends coming round—"

"No, I haven't."

Gene frowned, leaning forward as he placed his empty coffee cup back on the saucer. "Or perhaps I met you in connection with a case… there've been times I've met my colleagues' acquaintances, did you ever…?" Mai shook her head and he sighed. "I guess that's not it, then. But still, another coincidence! Are you friends with anyone else at SPR?"

"Just… Takigawa," Mai admitted sheepishly. "I met him through Ayako."

"No way!" Gene laughed and rested his chin on his hands. "Honestly, maybe that's why just you're familiar. I must have heard them talking about you."

Mai flushed, wishing she had a glass of water. Despite the cake she now felt like she'd drank the tea on an empty stomach and she was slightly dizzy. Honestly, what were the odds, the odds that they would run into each other at the bookstore, after the same book, and not only that but this man, a new client of her firm, (who had flirted with her and sort of asked her out) turned out to be the so-called Beautiful Prince? It was like something out of a tv drama.

Their cups were empty and they'd eaten the last of the cake, so Mai checked the time. "It's about time for me to go," she excused herself, picking up her coat and taking her bags. She was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to come here. He was a client, after all. And no matter how good looking he was or how much she liked it when he smiled at her—nothing would change that.

"Of course," Gene agreed, rising to his feet. "Thanks for letting me impose on your afternoon. It was great to talk to you. I really enjoyed it."

"Me too." She said honestly. Despite her doubts she couldn't pretend she hadn't had a good time.

They paid and left the cafe, walking together back down the alley toward the main street. "I'm heading left," he told her.

"I'm going right."

"Then we part here." He fished his mobile from his pocket. "Maybe we could meet up again sometime. What's your number?" After she'd given it he sent her a text. "Now you have mine. Call me sometime."

"I'll let you know when I've finished the book," she promised, not sure if she should allow herself to contact him under any other circumstances.

"I'll hold you to it." He smiled at her warmly and waved as they parted. "I suppose I'll see you on Tuesday. Until then."

Walking away, Mai glanced over her shoulder behind her—only to see he had turned, a grin on his face and arm raised in a wave.

Her stomach was in knots as she walked toward the train station, though she couldn't tell if it was excitement or anticipation or anxiety or guilt. She'd had a good time with him and couldn't help her elation, wanted to laugh because it had been too many coincidences to even be funny anymore. But she felt guilty for being so happy, guilty for having such a good time, and she was nervous—nervous about the next time they would meet in a very different setting.

Waiting for the train that would take her to Ayako's mother's house, Mai took out her phone, lips pursing as she checked her email. There was still no message from Naru.

…

 _thank you so much for reading~ even though this is late. So LAte. I had the best of intentions of having a chapter come out each weekend leading up to the end of December, but better late than never I suppose. ngl Yasuhara and Gene give me life (personal highlight when Yasu says 'mate' bc I feel like this is perfect as) but I'll have to be careful or they'll derail this story. (And I guess I don't speak American English anymore because I can't think of another word which expresses that feeling… certainly don't type American English and have to go back and change all these s's to z's and delete u's and the like.) Full credit for Gene and Yasu playing tennis to soulsborne123, I just imagine that drawing of yours and it just seemed like the most natural thing in the world._

 _If you're worried I've given up on btlt by starting this new story… don't worry, it's just a little distraction. tbh I think I needed a break after struggling with the upcoming chapter (all year long) and this is the perfect opportunity. You know what they say about life giving you lemons and making lemonade: well it's taken me a while to figure out when life gives you family law you write fanfic. (Inspiration always comes from unexpected places.) Like thinking of Gene surfing in a wet suit ;) ;) ;) … just think about it. that's my Christmas gift to you~_

 _Thanks everyone for your support, and in the event I don't get the next chapter up in the next week (fingers crossed), best wishes for the new year!_

 _~abbq_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lin sat hunched over the computer screens, scrolling through a spreadsheet filled with data and occasionally highlighting one of the fields, glancing at the monitors in front of him every few seconds. Footsteps sounded in the hall outside but he did not look up, even as the door opened. There was only one person it could be and that was Oliver, back from his trip downtown to the library. He'd been away for the better part of the day—now hopefully with the answers they'd been seeking. They'd been at this house at 57 Laurence Avenue for nearly a week now and Lin was ready to add this case to their archives.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. I presume nothing has happened here? How's the temperature data from last night?"

"Same as the previous nights before."

Oliver nodded as he set the large briefcase on the table, undoing the clasps on the sides. "How's the comparison with the mic data and the temperatures?"

"Just finishing up, but it's looking good." Lin asked, eyes still glued to the data and highlighting a group of numbers in yellow. He turned away from the screen and rested his hands behind his head. "Last night was the loudest—most active night yet. It's been a steady increase in activity every night since we got here, but last night was an exception and the activity jumped."

"She's getting impatient, then," Oliver said with a small smile, opening his briefcase and pulling papers from it to the table. "Where are the others?"

"Katya's having a rest. Luce and Hamish went to check the mics upstairs—" he looked at his watch "—just about ten minutes ago. How'd you go at the library?" Lin asked, his curiosity getting to the best of him as he rose to his feet. "Were you right?

"Yes. Once I looked through the local records for McCann Street instead of Laurence Avenue I found reference to it right away."

Lin crossed the room in two short paces and stood over the table, watching as Oliver opened the folder and began to set photocopies of articles out on the table. _Murder on McCann Street_ , a headline read. Surprisingly, it wasn't even the top billed story, as above read in larger letters: _Lancaster Cattle Take First at County Show._

"All of this has reference to McCann Street—nothing for Laurence Avenue?" Lin asked, picking up the first article.

"Correct. From the archives it appears this property is called 25 McCann Street up until 1952. Then—for whatever reason—it changes to Laurence Avenue and the property address takes the name of the cross-street. After that there is not one reference to 25 McCann."

"Which is why the city plans of the neighborhood would show McCann, if they were drafted in the late 40s," Lin mused.

Oliver nodded. "It's thanks to you that you caught the discrepancy, otherwise I never would have thought to look."

"Were you able to ascertain what happened and why the name of the street changed?"

"Not entirely. In 1976 a development application was put in for 57 Laurence Avenue. The plans attached didn't have any reference to the earlier property name. Why it changed… well, it could have been the notoriety of these articles. Perhaps no one wanted to move into a house for sale on McCann Street. Or not 25 McCann Street, at least."

"Anything of note in these?" Lin asked, lowering his gaze to skim the article.

"Not particularly. As to be expected from a local newspaper reporting on a major crime, it's only a token attempt to report the incident. If the police had any true leads at the time the press hadn't caught wind of it yet."

" _A resident of 25 McCann Stree_ _t_ _was found dead the morning of 18_ _th_ _July, 1948._ T _he police_ _suspect foul play and_ _have taken a person of interest in for questioning._ " Lin read aloud. "No doubt at the time the gossip mill was running fast enough that everyone in town knew what was going on. The paper was probably doing a service by not circulating rumors."

Oliver nodded and pulled out a paper from underneath one of the articles. "After I found these I started looking up records for McCann Street. I was finally able to find records of the Henderson family the man across the street told us used to live here." Oliver reached into his pocket and retrieved his mobile, opening up his photo app and showing him the screen. It was a photo of a tombstone: _Margaret Louise Henderson – Beloved mother. Born 4_ _th_ _March 1922 – Died 18_ _th_ _July 1948._ "On the way back to the property I stopped at the cemetery. What do you say we summon her tonight and see what she has to say for herself?"

There was a self-satisfied glint in Oliver's eyes that hadn't been there the day before. It was more than his trip to the library—after all, they'd had the suspicion but hadn't been able to confirm that it was Margaret Henderson, having not known if this was the home where she had lived. Lin had noticed the change come over him the day before: he'd gone out to get sandwiches after midday and Oliver had been in a good mood ever since he'd come back.

"I'll start with the preparations, then."

"Good." Oliver sat down in front of the computers, hands tapping on the desk, oblivious to the fact that Lin was still studying him.

"Have you spoken with your brother lately?"

If Oliver was surprised at the change in subject, he didn't show it. "Since he said he couldn't stay for this case, you mean?" He scoffed lightly. "No. I have not. I haven't talked to him since he went back to Japan. Why?"

Lin shook his head. "Just curious if you'd talked about this case. That's all." Evidently _that_ was not the reason why. Oliver had never been particularly fond of his brother's long-time girlfriend and he'd wondered—for just half a second—if it was the news that they'd split up which might have brightened his mood. But even he wasn't that cruel. Madoka had said that Gene had taken it pretty hard and Oliver would always side with his brother.

Bending to pick up his bag, Lin couldn't stop the sigh from escaping his lips. Oliver may still not even know, and if Gene's own twin brother didn't know then it was unlikely his parents knew either. Madoka had sworn him to secrecy that he wouldn't even mention his knowledge to family members. While tactiturn by nature and unlikely to break promises, Lin did not like keeping secrets, especially secrets he had no business knowing in the first place.

"I'll need to collect a couple things," he said, speaking to the back of Oliver's head. "I'll be out a little while. Probably back before dinner—call me if you need me."

"Will do." Oliver waved him away without looking up.

Lin sighed again and shook his head to himself. It was not his place to worry, but he cared a lot for the two brothers. He'd been working with Oliver and Gene in a professional sense for just over ten years but had known them since he was a university student they were just children. Lin had never had an ounce of precognition in his bones but something made him uneasy. If nothing else, he reasoned, Gene would have to speak to his brother soon, as both he and Oliver were going to Japan in a few short weeks around New Years, and he wouldn't be able to maintain the facade when he saw him.

Lin hoisted the bag over his shoulder and pushed the thoughts from his mind. If he was going to summon Margaret Henderson he had to focus on the task at hand and there was much to be done. He had a job to do.

…

The day had passed too quickly, Mai thought morosely as she opened her fridge, peering inside and wondering if she could be bothered to cook something for dinner or if she didn't have the energy. It seemed like the weekend had only just started and here it was, already Sunday night.

She sighed as she closed the refrigerator door. Ayako had been pestering her to start cooking more, but even something simple like rice and miso soup seemed like too much trouble right now. Besides, she reasoned to herself as she slung her jacket over her shoulders, she'd cooked dinner with Ayako the night before and had brought home enough leftovers for a few bento lunches during the week. Not to mention it would do her good to get some fresh air. She hadn't left her apartment all day, having read and done a few chores, wasted time on the net and had even taken a rare nap in the afternoon. Nodding to herself as she stuffed her wallet in the pocket, Mai slid into her boots, checked and smoothed her hair in front of a mirror, and headed out of her apartment.

Ten minutes later she was sitting at the counter of her favourite local _izakaya_ establishment, a cup of warm sake in front of her as she waited for her food. Mai frowned to herself as she thumbed her phone, scrolling through her messages. It had been two days since she'd spoken to Naru but he still hadn't emailed her. That euphoria of him saying he'd come to Japan to meet her had long since faded away and she felt nothing but disappointment and uncertainty. He must not have really meant it, she reasoned. Or he'd changed his mind. She'd come on too strong, been too forceful and had driven him away. It wasn't like it was the first time this had happened.

Mai sighed as she picked up her sake. Part of her wanted to text him and apologise for bothering him. Clearly he was busy and had _much more important things to do_ , she thought glumly. Another part of her wanted to be childish and ignore him back. If he couldn't be bothered to even text her when he'd promised to email _and_ call her, then she didn't want to appear desperate. He could write when he felt like it and she could respond when she felt like it—scratch that. If he texted her she'd write back right away. She always did.

"Taniyama-san?" A voice startled her out of her thoughts and she turned, a grin forming on her lips as she saw the speaker.

"Hirota-san, good evening!"

Hirota Seigi stood in front of her in his usual gray suit, brown overcoat folded over his arm. They'd met in the neighborhood a couple years ago; he lived in one of the apartment blocks a couple streets away and they'd run into each other a few times here and there, at the 7-11 or the Lawson or on the same car on the last train of the night: her coming back from a night out with a girlfriend and he always coming home from work. They'd probably known each other for two years before they realised they had mutual acquaintances through work; any of the solicitors who had any criminal law work at her office knew him and everyone else in his department at the Special Investigation Bureau.

"How've you been? I haven't seen you in a while, you been busy with work?" She asked, motioning to the seat next to her when he hesitated.

"Good, yeah, I suppose. You mind if I—?" Hirota gestured to the space next to her. Mai smiled and he sat down, motioning to the woman behind the bar who promptly placed a tall mug of beer in front of him. Moments later she returned with Mai's plates of _yakitori_ grilled chicken skewers, pickled _umi budou_ seaweed, shredded cabbage salad and _agedashi_ fried tofu.

"Here, help yourself if you like," Mai said, pushing her plates closer between them and taking a skewer, grinning her thanks at the woman when she brought an extra plate for Hirota.

"How's work?" He asked her, taking a drink of his beer.

"Pretty much same as always." Mai grinned. "And you?"

"The same." Hirota laughed ruefully, smiling his thanks to the woman as she placed a plate of steamed edamame soy beans in front of them. "I'll probably see you tomorrow, actually, I have to drop some reports off for Shimokawa-san."

"Ugh," Mai shuddered. "I'm so glad I don't have anything to do criminal matters. Family law is enough for me."

"Don't the other secretaries say exactly the same thing?" Hirota laughed. "You always get the craziest clients—"

"It's not like my clients are any worse than anyone else's," Mai protested. "And not _all_ of them are high-maintenance clients."

"That's a nice way of putting it."

"I mean, yeah, but can you blame them? It's stressful," Mai grumbled, picking up her chopsticks. "I'll have you know we have perfectly normal, rational family law clients as well."

"It's just that the _really_ bad ones make up for the rest, huh?"

"Well..." Mai faltered. "Yeah. I suppose so."

Hirota took a long drink of his beer, a wry grin twitching at his lips when he lowered the mug. "Ogawa has some pretty awful horror stories: clients refusing to sign documents they've been ordered by the Court to sign, trying to transfer land between parties only to find out it's still in the name of a person who died twenty years ago. Basically, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. I hope your day-to-day isn't like that."

Mai groaned. "Tell me about it. We always have clients who refuse to sign documents. _Especially_ in family law. Sometimes the lawyers on the other side get in on it too. We had a firm that kept sending documents back to us that _we'd_ sent for their client to sign, refusing them because they were so-called ' _incomplete documents_ ' as our client hadn't signed them yet." Mai rolled her eyes. "But obviously, if the two clients won't sign it together then _somebody_ has to sign an incomplete document."

"Another Tokyo firm?"

"No, Osaka… they might do things differently down there though."

Hirota laughed. "Sounds like they were just being difficult." He motioned to the woman behind the bar. "'Scuse me, could we get two plates of _okonomiyaki_? And a plate of _karaage_ chicken."

"Won't be but a moment, sweet," the woman called as she passed, offering him a broad grin. "You ready for another beer?"

"Thanks," Hirota drained his mug and set it on the raised portion of the bar. He glanced back at her, watching her for several moments before speaking again. "You okay? You looked pretty despondent when I came in."

Mai stuck her lips out in a pout. "I'm that obvious?" Hirota shrugged and she sighed. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just… waiting to hear back from a friend. That's all."

"Give him time," Hirota reasoned.

"I never said it was a _he_ ," Mai grumbled, and he laughed, picking up his chopsticks to start on the collection of plates they had accumulated between them.

"I'm a detective, aren't I?"

Mai looked at him reproachfully, trying to be annoyed that he was right—but try as she might she couldn't.

"He just said he would call," she finally mumbled, setting down her chopsticks and picked up her sake cup to take a drink, but the vessel was empty. She gazed at it in her hands, realising all of a sudden that she wanted to talk about it—not that she could talk to Hirota. She could call Keiko or Ayako; but even though she'd told them about the friendship she'd cultivated with Naru she'd never been able to admit to them that she had fallen in love with him. Maybe because she'd always known it was a ridiculous fantasy and she wanted to keep it her secret. But she'd thought—she couldn't help but think...

"I'm just being stupid." Mai shook her head dismissively, setting down the empty cup and began to pick at the edamame beans. "Just being stupid."

"I very much doubt that." Hirota said, taking a drink of his beer. The woman came back around with the plate of _karaage_ fried chicken and he took a piece before pushing the bowl toward her, gesturing for her to eat. "Chin up, Taniyama-san. It's not like you to be down."

"No," Mai sighed. "I suppose not."

"Another round?" He asked, tipping his head toward her cup. When she nodded he raised his hand again to get the woman's attention and she returned with the bottle of sake, filling her cup. "I know it's not my business," he said after she left. "But just give him time. Give yourself time. It'll sort itself out, yeah?"

The serious, worried expression didn't fit him—well, it fit him like a glove, but not when it was directed at _her._ Mai couldn't help but grin, lifting her cup. "Yeah. It will. Cheers, Hirota-san."

…

Sunday night: it was always her favourite time of the week. Madoka sat in front of her computer in an otherwise dark room, sipping a cup of black coffee and gazing out the window. The blinds were pulled back so she could see the lighted buildings of the city, red and yellow streams of traffic coming and going—even the winking lights of antennas and radio towers were visible in the distance. All the lights were warm and serene in the darkness; the city of Tokyo less frantic than any other night of the week.

Her phone chimed with a new email received and she leaned forward to turn on the desk lamp next to the computer, setting the cup down and picking up the object. A smile twitched at her lips as she saw it was an email from Oliver: _Witham_ _Case Summary_ , the email subject line read. Evidently they'd resolved the case since she'd last checked in with them.

Half an hour later and Madoka hadn't moved, the dregs of the coffee long cold as she studied Oliver's report. It was good data—surprisingly good. The raw data had been converted into several graphs showing temperature correlated to time in dips and curves, perfectly replicated day after day. From Oliver's brief email that accompanied the report, he had gone from pleased to dissatisfied very quickly as he realised the data was _so_ regular that those they aimed to convince would simply say it was falsified. Madoka sighed. As to be expected, Oliver was always the realist and never one to simply enjoy the good cases when they had them.

SPR and BSPR rarely had cases such as this. There were plenty of cases with active spirits and where supernatural phenomena occurred with such regularity, but it was always difficult to hit the second half of the equation and be able to record it. But there were temperature logs, video and audio reels all showing the activity of the spirit, as well as new data from the seismograph, recording movement of the actual structure.

And move it did. When the spirit screamed the house groaned with it, shifting and shaking. If the case hadn't just finished Madoka would have asked Martin to order the team to retreat. It was too dangerous. On BSPR's recommendation the elderly couple who lived there was staying with family while the building inspector completed his report. It was hard to say if the building was still structurally sound.

Most interesting was the summoning of the spirit and the link to the video which had captured it. The conditions must have been just right as the spirit materialised enough not just to be visible to the entire team but to also come up on video. Margaret Louise Henderson showed up on film not just as a spectre or a blur of light, but a shadow of herself in the dark room. It was the first time Madoka had seen anything like this—

Her phone rang, jolting her out of her reverie. Madoka picked it up, starting with surprise as she saw who the caller was, a knot forming in her stomach. It was unusual for her to call, but Madoka wasn't one to shy away even when she knew a confrontation was imminent. She tapped to answer and raised it to her ear, tipping her head and shaking her curls behind her shoulder.

"Oh, Luella, hello, how are you?" She pushed as much charm and cheer into her voice as she could.

" _Madoka, I hope I'm not interrupting you? I can call back later if that suits you—"_

"No, of course not," Madoka said, though having some inkling of the conversation they were about to have, wished she could tell Luella now was _quite inconveniet_ and perhaps she could call back at another time, perhaps never. "You're not interrupting, I'd just finished reading some case notes and it was about time for a break anyway."

" _You're working Sunday night? Madoka_ ," the other woman chastised lightly.

"Old habits die hard," Madoka laughed.

" _Well, I won't keep you long. I just.. I just needed to ask you about Gene._ " Madoka's face blanched and waited for Luella to continue. " _I.. I take it he and Annie broke up?_ "

"Oh." Madoka had been preparing herself for this moment for a long time, but now that it had actually arrived she found she didn't remember what exactly she had decided to say. "Gene told me they had split up." she began, wincing and massaging her forehead. "I didn't realise he still hadn't told you. When—?"

" _This morning_." Luella sighed. Madoka did the math in her head. London was eight hours behind—which meant Luella couldn't have waited very long before she called her. " _He didn't say exactly but it sounds like it's been a few months_."

 _A few months_ was a bit of an understatement, Madoka thought dryly. To the best of her knowledge it had been August when they officially separated when Gene moved out of their apartment, but she had an inkling things had been deteriorating for months before that.

"Martin didn't know either?" Madoka tried to sound surprised but it wasn't convincing, even to her own ears.

" _No,_ " Luella let out a short, bitter chuckle. " _He almost asked me not to tell him."_

"Almost?" Madoka queried.

" _Well—I guess he did ask._ " Luella sighed, backtracking. " _And that's when I realised that he hasn't told Noll._ "

Madoka felt her stomach drop, realising now exactly why Luella had called.

" _I know the last thing you probably want is to be pulled into_ _our_ _family drama..._ " Luella's voice trailed off.

 _Yes,_ Madoka thought, _that is_ precisely _the last thing I want, but you're calling me anyway aren't you?_ She sighed and closed her eyes. "It's no problem, Luella, just tell me what I can do. You know I'll do anything I can to help."

" _Do you mind talking to Gene? Noll will be furious if he hears it from anyone else._ " Luella sighed. " _I asked him as well but I know how close you are and how much he respects you._ "

Madoka couldn't stop herself from snorting, thankfully away from the receiver. _Respects me? Yeah, right._ "Of course."

" _I'll talk to Martin and we won't say anything for a_ _week or so_ _, but he'll have to tell him eventually._ "

"Of course."

" _If he won't, Noll will find out when he visits next month, and he'll realise Gene was keeping it from him. I just want to avoid that. It would be better for Martin and I to tell him rather than it be a surprise._ _For him to think Gene was withholding something_ _intentionally_ _._ _"_

Madoka closed her eyes, nodding along the agreement Luella wanted to hear. Would it, though? No doubt Oliver understood Gene had parts of his life he wasn't privy to. "Yes, of course."

" _And there's one other thing_..." Luella hesitated. " _Gene said… something about seeing a_ _solicitor_ _?"_

" _What_?!" Madoka burst out, nearly falling off her chair and knocking over the nearly empty coffee cup on the desk, thick dregs spilling onto a pile of printouts. "A _solicitor?_ "

" _I take it you didn't know._ "

"Of course not. I had no idea."

Luella sighed and was silent for some time. " _I don't know what to do._ " She finally admitted. " _If Annie's taking_ _legal action against_ _Gene for his money, I want to fight her all of the way. But I don't know if that will make Gene happy. He_ _said now that they've broken up he_ _just wants to_ _put it all behind him_ _._ "

Madoka whet her lips. It was exactly like Gene. Ever the peacemaker, she knew how much he had always compromised for Noll, and Annie hadn't been any different. In some ways these two people in Gene's life had been complete opposites, in other ways almost the same. If she was completely honest she would have to admit she'd never been very keen on them dating and had always suspected an eventual break up. She'd been angry and sympathetic when she saw their relationship deteriorating, but it had also come as a relief that one Monday morning when Gene showed up at the office and flatly announced it was over.

"Did Gene say what his lawyer's advice was?"

" _No, he wouldn't talk about it._ " Luella sighed. " _Just told me not to worry. That he'd sort it."_

Madoka closed her eyes and shook her head. And it was just like those boys to keep Martin and Luella at arm's length whenever they needed them the most. "I'll ask him about it at work tomorrow," she said, clearing her throat. "It's not something he should have to deal with all by himself. There might be something I could help him with."

" _Oh. Thank you._ " Luella seemed relieved. " _Just don't… force him too much, okay?_ _I don't want him to think I've asked you._ "

"Of course not," Madoka assured her, a small smile twitching her lips. No doubt Gene had anticipated Luella would call her and had been putting it off as long as possible. "I'm just as concerned as you are, Luella."

" _Thank you. Let me know if there's anything you need._ "

"Certainly. I'll be in touch." Madoka sighed and hung up the phone. Within a moment she had dialed it again. She frowned as it rang, tapping her fingers on the table, eying the pile of stained papers with annoyance.

"Lin," she said, forgoing any greetings or pleasantries. "When was the last time you spoke to Gene?"

There was a pause. " _Hello to you too, Madoka. How's life in Tokyo these days?_ "

"It's great, thanks for asking," she replied. "Now when—"

" _He called me about a week after he left London, so that would have been about two weeks ago._ _Now is there a_ _ny particular reason you needed to know,_ _or just to satisfy your curiosity_ _?_ "

"Luella just rang. Apparently Gene told them he broke up with Annie."

"… _I see_."

"And _apparently_ he's seeing a lawyer. Has he said anything about this to you?"

" _Of course not_ ," Lin scoffed, his frown audible in his voice. " _Gene called me about your case_ _at the time_ _. Nothing more._ "

Madoka sighed. She should have known. She had been the one who told Gene to call Lin for his advice during that case, but she couldn't help but hope Gene had confided in someone within SPR. Most likely Gene would talk to Yasuhara, but even though Madoka and Yasuhara got along pretty well she wasn't sure she could ask him about this.

" _As much as I hate to cut our conversation short, I have to go._ _As I'm sure you're aware we just finished our case in Witham..."_

"Yeah, I've read Noll's preliminary report."

" _Was there anything else you needed or have I answered your questions for now?_ "

"You're trying to get rid of me," Madoka teased. "Probably trying to hang up so you can get back to your hot lunch date." She thought she could hear him roll his eyes. "No, that's all. No more questions," she said quickly. "Thanks."

" _Take care, Madoka._ "

Madoka hung up the phone and stared at her translucent reflection in the window, lit from the desk lamp. Through it she could still see the winking lights of the city. She then dialed again. She shook her head as it rang out and went to voicemail.

"Gene. Call me." The curt words were less of a request and more of a demand. She hung up and set the phone down on the table, cradling her head in her hands.

That silly, silly boy. She'd known from the start they weren't a good match for each other. She'd liked Annie when she first met her—the girl was terribly funny, charismatic and extremely clever. But Madoka had seen from the very beginning that she was arrogant and lacked compassion. While Gene was warm, Annie had a coldness that Gene didn't seem to be able to feel.

Gene had been devastated over their breakup—but now Madoka knew there had to be something more to what had happened. Gene had told her Annie had broken up with _him—_ but why break up with someone and then commence court proceedings months later? No, Madoka was convinced Gene had lied. He had ended the relationship. But to be that upset over it and be the one who had ended it all… there were only a couple plausible explanations, none of them very pleasant.

Madoka sighed and picked up her head. It was just like Gene to get into trouble. But she'd never thought he'd get tangled up in some family law legal action. She never would have seen _that_ coming.

The phone rang—it was Gene.

" _Sorry, I didn't hear my phone_ ," he apologised, and Madoka rolled her eyes at the lie. Everyone knew Gene's obnoxiously loud ringtone—most likely he'd ignored it the first time and only decided to ring her back after he heard her message.

"I just spoke with Luella," Madoka said, without preamble.

The line was silent for a moment. " _Oh_ ," was all he replied. " _Then I guess—_ "

"Yeah. She's worried about you, Gene. _I'm_ worried about you."

" _Nothing to worry about_ ," he scoffed.

"Excuse me?" She countered. "What's this about Annie taking you to court? And _how_ could you not tell Noll?"

" _She hasn't taken me to_ _c_ _ourt! I just got a letter saying I should seek legal advice_." Gene protested. " _And Noll… well,_ _I… was waiting for him to finish his case_ ," he said lamely. " _I didn't want to distract him._ "

"Bull. Shit." Madoka sighed. "Just… tell him, okay? Because he needs to hear it from you, Gene."

" _I know, I know._ "

"And soon," she warned. "Because he needs to know before his visit."

" _I know, alright?_ "

"So what's this about you getting a lawyer?"

" _Well…_ _I have my first meeting on Tuesday._ "

She waited for him to continue. He didn't. "This is the first I've heard of it."

" _You don't mind if I have a couple hours out of the office?_ " He asked sheepishly.

Madoka snorted. "Of course that's fine. That's not what I meant. Maybe I can come with you."

" _No, that's not necessary. Besides,_ _we've got too much_ _work for Wednesday_ _before we head out to Oita_ _. I'll come in early and work late_ _to make up_ _,_ _but I don't want to add to anyone else's stress_ _._ " As if sensing her hesitation, he continued quickly. " _Don't worry about it, Madoka. I'll let you know how it goes, okay? And if I need any help with anything, I'll let you know."_

Madoka sighed. As far as appearances went, Gene was ever the model of a dutiful and accommodating son, but she knew it was just the habit of saying the words he knew you wanted to hear. "I know you're probably just saying that. But seriously, let me know, okay?"

" _Roger that. See you tomorrow._ "

…

The case was over. After they'd packed up he'd sent a preliminary report to Martin and Madoka, using the data Lin had compiled during their downtime on the case. Everyone else had long gone home to rest but Oliver sat alone in his office, staring at the glaringly blank screen of his laptop.

It shouldn't be this hard. He'd given his word he'd send a pdf of the data he'd told her about, not to mention he needed to send her his flight itinerary from Heathrow into Narita International Airport. It sounded simple enough, but he'd been thinking about this email since he called her and he still didn't know what to say. It was ridiculous. Besides his twin brother, she was perhaps the only person with whom he could speak freely and yet he was daunted by this simple task.

As for the data, he had his own reasons for his hesitation. It was disappointing, but after he'd realised such regular data could only be interpreted as fake he hadn't been able to think of it in any other light. He'd been eager to share with her what he thought was a triumph. But now he was embarrassed he'd been overeager, that he hadn't seen what it was in the beginning.

And for his flight itinerary… he had no misgivings about sending this to her. The words had come so easily when they'd spoken on the phone, when he'd told her he was coming to Japan. But now he didn't know how to tell her he wanted to meet her, let alone ask her to take time off from work to spend time with him or even travel with him. What was he thinking when he'd mentioned it? They may have been communicating for five years now, but how could he ask her to spend time with him when they'd never met face to face before?

His mobile vibrated on the table next to him with a text message. It was Madoka—she'd read the report, would call to discuss tomorrow.

He sighed and set the phone back on the table, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He would have thought she'd contact him by now. She was notoriously impatient. Maybe he was wrong to go to Japan, maybe he'd been wrong to think he could meet her…

He rested his forehead in his hands, shaking his head back and forth. No. He was being irrational. And it wasn't like him to worry so much about just one email.

He opened his eyes and pulled his laptop closer and clicked back on the email he'd started, the email forwarding his flights. He typed quickly and without hesitation.

 _Mai_

 _I apologise for the delay of my email. We were busy finalising the case and I did not have time to write or call. I am not going to waste your time by sending through the case data as it turned out to be less than ideal._

 _As you can see I'm arriving in Narita on 26 December. I will have some familial obligations to attend and I will need to do some business in Tokyo, but as I said I would like to go to Mount Koya for New Years and I am considering taking the train to Nara as I am interested to see Todaiji Temple. I would like to see you and will plan my trip around what might be convenient for you._

Oliver stared at the words he'd typed for a moment before adding another line at the end.

 _Needless to say I am looking forward to seeing you._

He sighed and pressed send, leaning back in his chair.

Part of him was worried she'd call him up, laughing _what are you going on about?_ and tell him she'd had no desire whatsoever to actually meet him. All he could do now was wait. He'd held up his side of the bargain.

Oliver rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. Lin, were he here, would tell him to go home like the rest of the team and get some rest. If nothing else, a proper meal and a cup of tea wouldn't be amiss.

He closed his laptop and packed his bag, pausing for a moment before taking the last case file and slipping it inside. He had just donned his coat when his mobile sounded in his pocket. It didn't surprise him that it was a message from his brother.

 _Noll – you booked your tickets right? I need to talk to you. Tell me what time I should call you tomorrow. -E_

After he read the message, Oliver slipped the phone back in his pocket and picked up his bag, turned off the lights and closed the door behind him.

He was waiting at the bus stop when he felt the phone vibrate again in his pocket, once, then twice. Pulling the device from his pocket, he saw it was two messages from Mai.

 _Can I come to Nara with you? And Koya-san? We can stay with my friend's family, they're super great and I'm sure they would love to have guests. And I want to show you around! I know you have work you probably need to do, but I can take off as much time as you'll be free. Just let me know! Boxing Day is a holiday at my work (English firm you know) so I can pick you up at the airport if you want. It's late here and I have to go to sleep for work tomorrow, but call me sometime and we'll hash out the deets, ok?_

 _Why do you think the data's worthless? Send it to me anyway, I want to see!_

The phone buzzed again in his hand as the next message came up on the screen.

 _Of course I'm looking forward to seeing you too :)_

He couldn't stop the smile from twitching at his lips as he read and reread that line. The bus pulled up to the kerb and he boarded, taking a seat toward the back and turning his gaze out the window.

He'd deliberated for a long time after he'd first thought of taking a trip to Japan—not that he didn't want to meet her, see his brother or visit the office in Tokyo, his three primary objectives. But he knew long-distance correspondence and talking face-to-face were not the same thing. He'd developed an image of her in his head, almost assuredly different from the person she actually was, and was afraid to destroy it. But he couldn't resist the opportunity. Even if it risked changing their friendship, he wanted to meet her.

And now he was excited, nervous, hopeful. One month: one month and they would meet.

Oliver had always been one content to wait, but for this—for this he found himself feeling impatient.

* * *

 _hi everyone, so so (so so so) sorry this is this late. tbh 2018 has been a rough year for me so far (I was sick for 5 weeks, goodbye February, I basically did not exist outside of work) (which is wayy too stressful and stupid) and all those new years resolutions I had? Nope. but you know what they say. keep on keepin on. ganbatteeeeeeee!  
_

 _I don't know when the next chapter will show up because the next few weeks are devoted to the gh exchange project and btlt is overdue for an update. So maybe end of April or May? Eventually. that's about all I can say, that's my magic word. Eventually._

 _thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoy!_

 _abbq_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mai was in such a good mood she was sure absolutely nothing could ruin her day. She'd been happy when she went to sleep last night and was happy when she woke up this morning. Unable to stop herself, she'd reread his message straight away. _I am looking forward to seeing you_. The words danced in front of her eyes as she giggled and squirmed excitedly before burying her face in her pillow.

She usually dreaded Monday mornings, but there was a smile on her face as she prepared for the day and a spring in her step as she made her way to work.

Nothing could bring her down. Not the mountain of work that waited for her—her boss had worked over the weekend, burying what little headway she'd made catching up on Friday underneath a new pile of files. Not the fact the scanner was broken and it took a whole hour for the technician to come and fix it, too late so she had to have the junior office assistant run the last-minute affidavit to the copy centre and then hand deliver it to the court registry. Not even the fact she had to take a phone call from one of her least favourite clients, who always simultaneously creeped her out and made her feel sorry for him. She took it all in stride.

It was going to be a good day. A good week. A good month—she was counting down the days to December 26th. Her firm always ran a skeleton staff on Christmas and Boxing Day, even though the days weren't Japanese public holidays. They took turns: this year she'd opted to work on Christmas, meaning she had Boxing Day off. She could meet him at the airport, maybe take him to her favourite hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant in Shibuya, and they would talk, finally, face to face—

Mai mentally reared herself back, shaking her head to herself. He'd mentioned familial obligations. He'd once told her his brother lived in Tokyo, working in some kind of consulting field that had him travelling between the two countries. Surely, surely his brother would meet him at the airport and he would see him first. Right? It was obvious they were close, he would always mention when he was visiting.

She tapped her pencil against the desk, tilting her head back and forth and biting her lower lip. She felt like she was forgetting something—there was something niggling in the back of her mind, but she couldn't think what it could be. After a little while she shrugged and turned back to her computer screen, clicking on the electronic diary. Probably that she hadn't put in for her holiday leave yet. If he wanted to go to Mount Koya for New Years and visit Nara, they would have to reserve accommodation soon. She nodded to herself, pressing her lips together to try to stop the grin from stretching all the way across her face. It didn't work.

It was going to be a good day—she was sure of it.

…

Ayako was working from home today, papers spread out on her desk as she worked on layouts for next year's summer issue. She was ahead of schedule—it was due at the end of the month, but she didn't want to get lazy and find herself rushing at the last minute.

After coming to a good stopping place Ayako paused, stretching her arms above her head and leaning back in her chair. Pushing her chair away from her desk, she rolled sideways toward the stereo and turned down the music. Then she picked up her mobile from the shelf where she'd left it out of her line of sight from her desk. She'd meant to call Mai yesterday but there hadn't been a good time, and she didn't want to leave it to that evening. She paused, trying to remember when Mai's lunch break was. Was it midday? Or one o'clock? She couldn't remember. Shrugging, she dialled.

"Hey Mai, you got a second?"

" _Yeah, no problem, I'm on my lunch break_ ," Mai said, but in the background Ayako could hear the sound of typing. She rolled her eyes, swivelling her chair back around and crossing her legs.

"Does it really count as a lunch break if you work through it? What's the point of your company _giving_ you one if you don't take it? Anyway, nevermind, doesn't matter. I'll only take a minute. Just wanted to start ironing out things for my Christmas party and I wanted to run a couple things by you."

" _You always plan everything so far in advance, Ayako,_ " Mai guffawed, half in praise and half in mockery. " _Your party's still, what—two, three weeks away?_ "

Ayako held up a hand to stop her, as if her friend on the other end of the line could see it. "Not that I disagree, and notthat it's a bad thing, but three weekends is basically no advance warning to a caterer, especially this time of year—"

" _You're getting catering? Ayako, I thought you said this was going to be a low-key—_ "

"It will be, trust me," Ayako laughed, though even she realised this was a blatant lie. At some point in the past twenty-four hours she'd decided this was going to be the best party she'd ever hosted, and there was no turning back now. "At first I couldn't decide if the food should be Japanese style or Western, or a mix of both—"

" _Japanese_." Mai said without hesitation. " _If you get catering you can do anything, but sushi's more your style. Though you'll have to get a Christmas cake, of course._ "

"Noted," Ayako said dryly. "Sushi's exactly what I was thinking. Plus with sushi you can have either beer or sake—"

"— _or both_ —"

"—which makes it easy for me. But that brings me to the main reason I called you—you wouldn't happen to remember who did the catering at your friend's get-together—it was just before she got married—?"

" _Michiru?"_ There was a pause. " _I don't remember, but I can ask Keiko. She organised it. The girls' party we had before the wedding, right?_ "

"That's right. I remember your Instagram—it was all just so beautifully done, simple but classy. And you told me everything was good. I thought I'd look into them, but I forgot to ask you until now."

" _Maybe_ _there's something in one of my photos, then_ ," Mai mused. " _A logo or something. I don't remember. Anyway._ _I'll ask Keiko_. _She'll know._ "

"Thanks, I'll owe you one."

Mai laughed. " _Not me, at least not yet. Keiko will probably ask you to invite her to your party."_

"I can handle Keiko. You seem in good spirits today, anyway. Did something happen?"

" _Eh?_ " Mai giggled, a dead giveaway. " _Not .. particularly._ "

It was obvious she was lying, but Ayako decided to let it slide. She examined her nails, frowning as she rubbed a rough spot on her thumbnail with her index finger.

"Anyway, I heard back from some of my work colleagues and Saturday the 16th is definitely a go. I'll send out invites in the next day or so, so keep an eye out."

" _Roger that._ "

Her phone beeped in her hand, once and then in quick succession. "Tch, hang on a second," Ayako grumbled. "Someone's calling." She pulled the mobile away from her ear to check the screen. "Never mind. It's just Gene. You know—the boss at SPR, the Beautiful Prince—"

Mai had made a quiet choking, gasping sound.

"You all right?"

" _Um. Yeah. I know._ " Mai cleared her throat. " _We, um. Met the other day._ "

"What?!" Ayako dropped her pen. It rolled across the inclined desk and fell onto the floor with a clatter. "What do you mean by _that?_ "

" _Oh, well… I was at Kinokuniya, and somehow we both were after the same book… it was an odd coincidence and we ended up introducing ourselves, and I didn't realise at first but eventually he mentioned where he works..._ " Mai's voice trailed off.

"Wait a second. I just can't believe this. So you've met?! The Beautiful Prince? Face to face?"

" _Uh, yeah.._ "

Ayako narrowed her eyes. Even if they ran into each other and found they were looking for the same book, it was very odd that an introduction would come of it, or that _eventually_ he would mention where he worked—it must have been a long conversation for _that_ to come up. "So I won't even have to introduce you at my party? Is this perfect or what?"

" _Ayako—_ "

"What do you think? He's such an English gentleman, right? I mean he can be a bit of an ass at work, right, but he's certainly not lacking in looks—"

" _Are you serious? You're even worse than Keiko!_ " Mai complained. " _Why do you guys want to set me up_ —"

"Because it's fun, of course," Ayako interrupted. She frowned at the outburst. Mai was a little _too_ vehement and she paused, considering Mai's extremely good mood of only a few moments ago. "Why did you say you were in such a good mood again?"

" _Wha_ —" Ayako could hear her friend's obvious confusion. " _I didn't?_ "

"Mai," Ayako sighed, resting her head against her palm. "I'm not saying you have to tell me. But if there's someone else, obviously, I won't try to push you together with anyone. But if I don't know I'll just keep on mucking things up. You know me."

Mai snorted, but the background noises from the other end of the line had quieted and Ayako could imagine her sitting contemplatively at her desk. " _No matter how gorgeous they are?_ "

"No matter that," Ayako laughed, then sighed. "I mean, obviously I want to know. But I won't push you—"

" _It's because it's stupid. And I never thought before, so I didn't want to say anything..."_ Mai started quietly, her voice trailing off. " _It's my friend. You know, Naru?_ "

"Yeah," Ayako frowned. _What about him_ she was about to ask, but Mai continued before she could.

" _He's coming to Japan and we're going to meet up. It's just—"_ Ayako heard, in the silence, Mai searching for the right words. " _We've become really close, you know?_ "

Ayako shifted in her seat, not knowing where to begin. "How long have you guys been friends online, anyway? A few years, right?"

" _Yeah, it's been… five years, I think._ "

"Whose idea was it for him to come to Japan?"

" _What do you mean?_ "

"Did you ask him, or did he say he was coming?" She winced, hoping her tone wasn't as sharp as it sounded to her in her empty office.

" _Well… Both, actually._ "

Ayako pursed her lips. She'd be lying if she hadn't ever wondered about Mai's mysterious online friend, wondered if that all he was. She knew they were close, knew he was in the inner circle of Mai's friends, and for that reason wondered if Mai considered him more than that— _wanted_ more than that. But she didn't want to be an overprotective mother—Mai hated it when she used her age and acted as a know-it-all parental figure, even if she was older and wiser. And even though Ayako knew meeting online friends wasn't quite the same thing as it had when she was younger, she couldn't help but be uneasy all the same.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear this from me, but..."

" _But be careful?_ " Mai scoffed. " _Yeah. Don't worry. It's a non-issue, but I will be._ "

"Do you think it's a good idea? After all, he lives in England. Even if you meet him, Mai, it's not a permanent visit."

The other end of the line was silent. " _I know_ ," Mai finally said. " _I know that._ "

"I'm sorry," she continued. "But I don't want to see you setting yourself up for something that'll let you down. What about Gene?"

" _What about him?_ "

"You met him, you know what I mean."

Mai groaned. " _Ayako, I have heard you say on multiple occasions how you think your Beautiful Prince is all sweet on the outside but conniving on the inside—_ "

"Oh, come on, that's just because I have to work for him. It'd be different if you take work out of the picture. You met him, didn't you think he was nice? And you already admitted you think he's gorgeous," Ayako said pointedly. "And he's available, always a good place to start."

Mai sighed. " _Why do you want to set me up with him so badly?_ "

"Because I know you're his type."

" _But Naru's my type too._ "

"How do you know for sure? You've never met him." Before she could protest Ayako continued. "You don't really know someone until you meet them in person. Have you even seen his photo?"

" _Well…_ " Mai hesitated.

"Isn't that a bad sign? That he hasn't even shown his face to you? If you're as close as you say you are, why wouldn't he send you a picture?"

" _I dunno, he's just shy!_ " Mai let out an exasperated groan. " _I knew I shouldn't have told you. I'm_ happy _, Ayako. Why can't you just be happy for me too?_ "

"Mai..." Ayako sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "I know you don't want to hear it. But I'm just trying to look out for you. I have to say these things, even if you don't want to hear them. I'm not saying you shouldn't meet him. But you need to think about what it means, and how you feel about him, and how it's going to work. That's a really long distance relationship, from England to here."

" _I know, I know!_ " Mai burst out, then was silent. " _I don't even know, Ayako. I just..._ " she sighed. " _Let me meet Naru, okay? Let me at least do this. Anyway, I have to go. My boss is calling._ "

"Mai—"

" _Call you later, Ayako._ "

Ayako frowned at the sudden dial tone, dropping the phone and setting it on the desk. It wasn't like Mai—wasn't like her at all. Ayako bit her lip and dropped her head to rest in her hands, hair falling over her shoulders and onto the layouts in front of her. This was probably a lot more serious than she realised.

…

His brother's reply didn't come until late afternoon the following day. Gene had been checking the RCA connection cables—one of them had been damaged during their last case and no longer worked properly, but Gene had no idea which one it was. He'd meant to set it aside when they were packing up but they'd been in a hurry and not knowing, Takigawa had accidentally put it the box with the rest of them. It didn't matter—it was an easy mistake, but Gene had a feeling it would be the very last cord in the _very_ bottom of the box. Of course it would be.

He was in the middle of this laborious process when his phone sounded: the first few bars of Vivaldi's _Spring—_ he'd had a good chortle when he thought to make that the text notification sound for Noll. Too bad Noll never called him: his ringtone was _Carmina Burana_ , which of course Gene thought was hilarious. He picked up his phone and swiped open the screen, reading the terse message.

 _Yes. Any time is fine._

Gene set the phone back down and frowned, picking up the next RCA cable. When he plugged it in and the visual didn't show, he nearly whooped with delight. He stuffed the rest of the cables back into the box and went out into the main office where Madoka sat on the sofa, eyes glued to her laptop.

"It's almost five, I'm going to step out for dinner and come back later tonight," he told her as he slung his jacket over his shoulders.

"As you wish." She didn't so much as glance at him as she jotted down some notes on a pad.

"Chiaki leave already?"

"Yeah, five minutes ago." Her eyes were still glued to the screen. "I'll email you this article, if you've got time have a read and let me know what you think."

"Oh?" He bent and tried to read over her shoulder, but the text was too small that he couldn't see it from behind her. "For the Oita case?"

"Yeah, I think you might find it interesting." Madoka closed her laptop and rose to her feet. "I might head out as well and finish this at home. Can I walk you to the station?"

"If we're going the same way," he said lightly, watching as she packed her bag and donned her coat. He was surprised Madoka hadn't said anything to him all day regarding their conversation the night before—he'd thought she was going to give him a lecture for being irresponsible and dating Annie in the first place, but it had never happened. Granted, they were busy prepping for the case: there was equipment to check, plans to make, reading and preliminary research to do. They'd accepted this case Thursday afternoon for a departure the following Wednesday. Usually they liked to have a couple more days to prepare, since it was just the three of them to coordinate everything, and their current administrative assistant Chiaki was a graduate student who usually only worked half-days. They'd had another part time assistant once to help out, but after one case with a particularly disagreeable ghost she'd resigned and never returned.

"I forgot to ask you, did you hear back from everyone?" Madoka asked as they left the office.

"Everyone except Matsuzaki, who didn't pick up, but last week she said she had a big deadline at work so I'm not counting on her. If it's just the four of us I told Takigawa and John they're welcome to ride in the van with us, but if Matsuzaki ends up coming they'll probably take the sleeper train. It'll be too cramped otherwise."

Madoka smirked. "Plan on the train. Matsuzaki'll come, no doubt about it."

"How do you know?"

"Drop that we're headed to Oita and she'll be sure to make it. She'll make sure she finishes her work beforehand, you'll see."

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"Oita is famous for its hot springs and she's the type who wouldn't want to miss out. Don't you agree?" Madoka laughed. They walked in silence until they reached the stairs to the subway. She held back, gazing at him when he turned to look back at her.

"You're really not worried about this business with Annie?"

Gene couldn't stop from grinning at her. "I've been waiting for you to ask me about this all day."

She simply raised her eyebrows at him, crossing her arms. "Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I hadn't been thinking about it most of the day." She frowned a little, shaking her head. "I don't expect you to confide in me, Gene. I don't expect I'll be able to _do_ anything, except maybe tell your mother not to worry and hope she believes me."

"That's something."

Madoka tilted her head back and forth, considering. "I'm just not sure how much of a lie that would be. I have to draw the line somewhere."

Gene sighed and tipped his head back, looking over Madoka's head to the buildings behind her. "Are you trying to make me feel bad about this? Because yeah, of course I'd rather none of this had happened—"

"Of course not," she interrupted sharply. "But this is serious stuff, Gene. If she does take legal action against you, who knows—it could be months or years before it's all resolved. None of us want that for you. Even if it's financial assistance, Martin and Luella will do anything for you—"

"I know." Gene averted his gaze and he folded his arms over his chest. "You think I don't know that?" He shook his head and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, rubbing his temples with his fingers. If nothing else, meditation with Lin had taught him how to keep his temper. "I've only just received the letter from Annie's lawyer. I had a chat with my solicitor on Friday, he said the first step is to respond to their letter. After that we can figure out exactly what they want. It may be something that can be resolved outside of court. That's what he said." When he raised his eyes Madoka was gazing at him, lips pursed.

"All I can do until tomorrow is wait," he told her, finality in his voice. "Now, I'm starving and I was hoping to beat the five o'clock rush at this new ramen place."

Madoka sighed and waved him away. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't work too late tonight."

"No promises on that."

She snorted as she turned, lifting her hand. "And why is that not a surprise. I'll see you tomorrow midday. Make sure you don't overdo it tonight and sleep through your appointment in the morning."

He watched her go, waiting until she had disappeared into the crowds and out of sight before turning and heading back down the street and back to the office. He'd meant to eat dinner first; it hadn't been a lie to say he wanted to try out that new ramen place. But he wasn't really in the mood anymore and had lost his appetite. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned on his heels and walked back to the office.

Unlocking the main door, he tossed his jacket over the back of a chair and dropped himself on the sofa. Taking out his phone, he stared at the screen, thumbing the message from his brother. _Any time is fine._ If that's what Noll said, then he meant it. Noll didn't say things like that to be polite.

Gene took a deep breath as he dialled, lifting the phone to his ear and waiting, listening as the phone rang. It seemed to take forever as he thought about what he would say. Noll would expect him to pester him about his upcoming trip to Japan, to go over unnecessary details that could be communicated much more efficiently through email. He didn't want to spring it on him, but he needed to come clean about this. And now was the perfect opportunity if they could actually speak. He couldn't leave a message about this—not this time.

Suddenly, the line connected. " _Gene_." His brother greeted.

"Oh—hey, Noll. How's it going?"

" _Fine. You?_ "

"Good, yeah. I heard from Madoka you finished the case in Witham?" Gene winced at the statement. That he'd picked up at all meant the case was over. They both knew that. "How'd it go? I haven't read the report yet."

" _The case itself was fairly straightforward. Once we were able to identify the spirit we were able to satisfy her and she left willingly._ "

"That's good. How's the data?"

Noll was quiet for a moment. " _Less than ideal. Well—you'll see when you read the report._ " Noll exhaled, an almost imperceptible sigh. " _But that's not why you're calling. Is it?_ "

Gene licked his lips, suddenly nervous. "No. Well… I wanted to tell you that Annie and I broke up. I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else." He held his breath, waiting for his brother to reply.

" _I'm.. sorry_ ," Noll finally said and Gene felt all of the tension lift from his shoulders. All of a sudden he felt very tired, as if he'd just realised the weight of his secret. " _I know you liked her a lot._ "

Any other time it would have been funny, his brother's way of acknowledging he had once been head over heels in love with her. Gene rubbed his hand through his hair, unsure what to say. "Thanks. Well—it's for the best."

" _What happened?_ "

Gene paused again, thinking. When his lawyer asked him over the phone what led to the breakdown of their relationship he had answered truthfully, as client to his solicitor, but otherwise he hadn't told Madoka or even Yasuhara the entire story. But he wanted to tell Noll, even if he didn't want to hear it.

"Things fell apart and we broke up, of course. That doesn't show the complete picture, but…"

" _Then what's the complete picture?_ "

"It's a long story."

" _I've got time._ "

"Well…" Gene cleared his throat, rising to his feet and walking over to the window, gazing out at the street below. He felt like he needed to explain, explain all of it or Noll might misunderstand. "It started a few months back. We'd been fighting over trivial things all summer. I thought it was just the heat and both of us being busy at work and tired."

"I came back from a case out of town to find she was gone. She'd taken two weeks holiday to go back to the UK and visit her parents—the first I'd heard of it. Of course we had a pretty big row over the phone. I would have gone with her if I'd known she was going."

Gene sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand, turning away from the window and began to pace the room. "Then one day she rang while I was working a case. Left a message saying she wanted some time apart, asked me to find a new place and move out before she came back. After I heard that I kept calling her to try to talk to her about it, but she wouldn't answer. I didn't want to, the statistics of couples who take a break were not in my favour."

"This was right before our big case at Kadena. I gave up and told her I'd move out but it would take a couple weeks. I had to be there—well, I told you about that case."

" _You were lucky_ ," his brother said quietly.

"Yeah. John could have died if not for Takigawa's quick thinking."

" _How did his surgery go? Wasn't that pretty recent?_ "

"Oh yeah, good, real good. He still has a limp but he's recovering now. So yeah—On our Kadena case, I got a text message saying she'd come back and was going to box up my stuff for me. I couldn't leave—again, I'm pretty sure I tried to call her, but she wouldn't pick up. I left as soon as the case was finished, after we'd heard John's condition was stable. I got back to find all my stuff in boxes and Annie with another man."

His brother's stunned silence was palpable. " _She was cheating on you?_ " He finally managed.

Gene sighed and massaged his forehead. "For some time, apparently. Looking back I could see evidence of her affair. Late nights at the office. New cosmetics and fancy clothes and a haircut. I remember she even bought new cute lacy bras and panties and when I asked if she would wear them for me—"

" _Too much, Gene_ ," his brother warned.

"Sorry. Anyway." He sighed. "I think she wanted me to find him with him. Probably thought it would force me to break up with her. Get her what she wanted."

" _It's despicable_." Noll said quietly. " _She stayed with you even when her heart was with somebody else. Did you break up with her then?_ "

"Yeah."

" _How long has it been?_ "

"Officially… I suppose it would be August." Noll was quiet and Gene closed his eyes, wincing. It hurt because August was now four months ago, and it hurt because he'd been in England just three weeks ago. "I just… needed some time to get over it. Before I said anything." The words sounded lame, even to his own ears.

There was a long pause. In it, Noll's unspoken question _Why didn't you say anything to me?_ along with another apology, _I'm sorry you couldn't tell me._ Gene suddenly felt an acute longing to be in the same room as him, physical pain gripping his chest that he couldn't see his brother's face. That his brother couldn't see his, that he couldn't communicate the way they needed to. That he couldn't explain _It's not you, it's me_ over the phone when he could have explained it without any words were they sitting face to face. _I would have told you if I'd known how. I was the one who couldn't face you._

" _W_ _hy are you telling me now?_ " Noll finally asked quietly.

"I've waited long enough, haven't I? I had to tell you eventually."

" _You just told Mum, didn't you._ "

Gene winced again, closing his eyes and massaging his forehead.

Noll sighed at his silence. " _I don't blame you. Luella usually overreacts about these sorts of things. I wouldn't have told her either._ " Gene snorted at the absurdity of the statement. " _You know what I mean. She just wants to see you happy, Gene. She would have been devastated if she couldn't be with you to counsel you through your relationship problems._ " Noll paused, considering. " _Though I suppose she was devastated that you didn't trust her to tell her at first._ "

"I didn't tell her it was August…"

" _Ah. Now it's all beginning to make sense._ "

"I just needed a little time," Gene protested.

" _It was that bad?_ " Again, the sigh. " _I suppose it must have been._ "

Gene frowned, somehow feeling a little irritated at his brother. Acting as if he understood his relationship problems, as if they just hadn't spent the last twenty-nine years of their lives expressly _not_ talking about such things only for things to come out, like this, now.

"I'm over her now though. I wouldn't have said so at first, but I'm glad we broke up. It was just… bad timing, I guess."

Noll was quiet for some time. " _No such thing as good timing for these things. But I'm glad to hear you think it's for the best._ "

"You never liked her, anyway," Gene accused.

" _Not particularly, but I never said anything because you're always telling me I don't give your girlfriends a chance. It wasn't that I didn't like her. As long as you're happy I don't care who you're with. But you told me, Gene, when you first met that you thought she was trouble. What were your words? 'She's too much, even for me.' That was your first impression of her but you didn't trust your instincts."_

"Oh? Does this mean you trust my instincts?"

" _Of course I do, you silly git._ " His words were completely serious but Gene couldn't help but crack a smile. Those were his words, not Noll's, but it made him glad to hear him say them. " _I've always trusted your instincts._ "

Gene flopped down on the sofa again, this time laying completely horizontal with only his feet dangling off the end. "Then I guess I need to learn to trust you. I suppose I should have seen this all coming. Maybe I did and I just didn't let myself see it."

Noll waited for him to continue, prompting him when he didn't. " _There's more?_ "

"She's got a solicitor now." Gene closed his eyes and rubbed his nose with his fingers. "To get me to reach a family law property settlement."

" _Bloody hell_." Gene couldn't help but laugh at his brother's outburst, it was so unlike him. " _It's not funny, Gene."_

"No," he agreed, "you're right." He sighed heavily, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. "It's not funny at all."

" _But you weren't married._ "

"No, well.. the letter said something about a de facto relationship, that we should split our assets evenly according to whatever factors, something like that."

" _How can she even get money from you she was cheating on you?_ "

"I don't know about that. I haven't really spoken to my solicitor yet. I have my first appointment tomorrow."

" _How long has this been going on?_ "

"I only got the letter the other day." Gene sighed again, shaking his head. "I'll… I'll keep you updated, okay? You don't need to worry about me."

" _With this sort of thing, it's a bit hard not to._ " Noll lapsed into silence. " _You told Martin and Luella about_ this _development, didn't you?_ "

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I did!" Gene said, indignant.

" _How did they take it?_ "

"How did they take it?" Gene snorted. "As well as anyone can tell their mother their ex is taking legal action. Not well. But you know Mum. She didn't get upset with me or anything, even if she should have. Especially because she had to tell Dad, because he wasn't there when I rang. I was relieved when I realised I wouldn't have to tell him. Though it would have been better if she would have listened when I said she shouldn't."

Now it was Noll's turn to snort. " _No, I don't imagine she would have. So you haven't spoken with Martin yet?_ "

"No, and before you say anything, it's not his field, Noll."

" _I know that, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to assist you. He's got a lot of contacts through Cambridge."_

"And I _really_ don't want everyone at Cambridge knowing what Martin Davis' son is up to." Gene groaned. "Maybe nothing will come of it. I mean, you're right. How can she get money from me if she was cheating on me?" Having to say the words out loud left a bitter taste in his mouth.

They both lapsed into silence. Gene couldn't think of anything more to say on the matter. Noll seemed to be thinking and didn't say anything either. After what felt like a minute of radio silence, Gene began to feel uncomfortable. "I'm touched that you're worried, Noll—I really am, but you don't have to. Everything's fine."

" _You've always had a penchant for trouble._ " He could almost hear his brother's sardonic smile. " _But if your instincts say you'll be fine, I trust you._ "

Gene swallowed, nodding. "Yeah. It'll… it'll all be fine."

But was that really what his gut instinct was saying? Or was it just what he wanted to hear?

…

 _a/n:_

 _hi everyone~ sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Truth be told I have been sitting on it for a few weeks, but I felt guilty this chapter came so much easier than the btlt chapter I was working much harder on, and besides: four chapters in now I figured I'd better do a little research about property settlement law. It was never my intention for this story to be factually accurate, and yup: it definitely won't be. The basis of this story comes from my knowledge of AU law, which is even more different from current JP/UK law than I was expecting. Anyway – just so we're all clear on the matter that this drama is a work of fiction ;) ;) ;)_

 _thanks for reading~~~! I can't say when the next chapter will be, I'm head-down-bum up working on btlt and I'm going on a two week holiday at the end of August, and then start a new job when I get back in September. This story has always come easier than my others though, so hopefully not too long off. If you follow btlt: promises are dangerous so I don't want to make any, but I'm really (really, really, really) hoping to have an update in the next two weeks. So: until then!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I had to check my rating before posting this chapter. Swear words and acknowledgment that sometimes humans engage in intercourse ahead. LOL_

* * *

Chapter 5

Mai was still irritated at Ayako the next day. Not annoyed at anything she had said, but that she had said anything at all. Ayako had ruined her perfectly good mood and nothing had seemed to quite bring it back again. Even when she read Naru's email again that evening, she couldn't quite muster up the same giddiness and joy she'd felt the day before. It was now the next morning, she was at work, and she felt the complete opposite as she had the day before. Now she felt like nothing could lift her spirits.

Mai groaned to herself as her desktop printer stopped printing in the middle of a multi-paged document, out of paper. Again. And the worst part was that now she had butterflies in her stomach again when she thought about Gene. Thinking about seeing him again made her heart pound in nervous anticipation. She'd completely forgotten about him and his smile for 24 hours, but now he was back on the forefront of her mind and refused to let her fully concentrate on her job.

Him and his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend trying to reach a property settlement with him, threatening to take him to court. Him being a client to her boss. And they would have their first meeting in about—Mai looked at the clock—fifteen minutes.

From what Ayako had said about her _Beautiful Prince_ boss, it had not been a pretty break up. From Mai's previous experience with family law, Ayako probably didn't know the half of it. Any half-overheard heated conversations or bad moods at work brought about by personal stress were always ten times worse once were revealed in their entirety. She'd _known_ this—well, not the fact that he was Ayako's boss—but she'd known the circumstances which had brought him to her firm in the first place were not going to be pleasant ones. The probability for amicable family law matters were pretty slim, and Gene had admitted from the get go that they weren't.

And yet she'd still gone out for coffee with him. Allowed herself to feel flattered when he looked at her like that, _smiled_ at her like that.

The worst part was the guilty feeling that she was somehow being untrue to Naru. She didn't really understand this: Gene might make her heart pound with anxiety, but Mai hadn't _really_ thought of him in a romantic sense since she'd met him, even though Keiko and Ayako seemed to think it was a good idea. And even though Naru had never said anything, never made any suggestion to show he felt the same, she herself had feelings for him. So how could she cast that aside as if it meant nothing and allow herself to get nervous with a new client's smile? Especially when Naru was coming to Japan in a few weeks?

 _He obviously only thinks of you as a friend_ , the small and altogether too-smug voice of her own doubts said to her. _Just when has he ever indicated he could think of you as more? He shares his work with you but has he ever shared his own picture? Even if he did feel the same way, how could you actually date? How could you even be together?_

Ayako was right. Even if he did return her feelings, he didn't have any plans to move to Japan. How could he leave his work there that was obviously so important to him? And she certainly couldn't just up and go to England. It was doomed even before it started.

Mai sighed and began to reload her printer, shoving the tray back into the printer with a little more force than necessary. The printer sprang back to life and her desk phone rang, the light lighting up with her boss's name.

" _Did you want to see me about anything before I take my 10:00?_ "

"I'll be right there," Mai said, setting down the phone. Rising to her feet, she stretched her arms and waited for the printer before collecting the papers and tapping them together. Picking up a small armful of files she headed down the hall toward her boss's office door, which was open. She couldn't see the reception area from this part of the hall and she couldn't help but wonder if Gill had called her only when he got the call from reception that his appointment—being Gene—was waiting for him.

"It looks like a lot," Gill apologised when she entered his office, gesturing toward the towering pile of files he had on his desk. "But it's just tidy up—a couple invoices to go out, a couple short follow up letters."

Mai nodded weakly and passed him what she had brought down, Gill picking up his pen and signing the letters she had drafted and left on top of her files. "The rest of these were letters that went out yesterday afternoon," she said, gesturing toward the bottom stack. "Should any of these stay out or can they just go back into the cabinet?"

"Mm," Gill nodded absently, glancing at the files. "Oh—I'll keep Nguyen, I need to do another letter to the other side." He pulled the file out, then paused, considering the rest before taking another. "Just these. Thanks." Mai nodded and took the rest, carrying them to the filing cabinet.

"Do you need a hand carrying that?" He asked as she picked up the stack of new work on the desk.

"It's alright, it's not too much," Mai managed a grin as she lifted it. The stack of files was nearly as tall as her torso—nearly—but Mai prided herself on her upper body strength and always refused his requests to help her carry the work down the hall, and he never persisted.

"Thank you," he called after her as she headed down the hall again, staggering slightly under the weight of the files in her arms.

She was halfway back to her own office when Gene rounded the corner in front of her, his eyes lighting up immediately as he saw her and then hurrying toward her with arms outstretched.

"Hey—here, let me help you," he said, taking some of her load before she could even protest.

"Oh—it's okay, I'm fine," she tried, but he had already taken some of the files, a lightness rushing through her arms at the relief of the burden. He had obviously been going down the hall on his way to Gill's office, who must have called Pat at reception to send him down as soon as she'd left.

"Let me help you," he repeated with a smile. "Where's your office?"

"It's—um, it's just here," she said, turning the corner left instead of right from whence he'd came. The door was ajar and she pushed it open with her foot, dropping the files onto the chair which served as her overflow and only ever held files, rather than ever being used as a chair. She turned back to Gene and took the files from his arms, feeling a blush on her cheeks at their proximity.

"Sorry to trouble you," she said, embarrassed. "I've been rude. How are you today, anyway?"

He shrugged slightly, hands finding their way into his pockets. "I'm—fine, I suppose. Considering."

She nodded awkwardly, suddenly at a loss of what to say. She was usually so good at dealing with clients. Why was she tongue-tied now?

"Well, I'd better go." He straightened and smiled, but this smile was different from what she'd seen before. He seemed tired, she realised—exhausted. Worn down and sad. But still smiling at her, an honest, genuine smile. She tried to smile back, but her chest felt tight and suffocating. It took a moment for her to realise this feeling was worry.

"Thanks again for your help."

"It was no trouble, no trouble at all," he assured her.

"I—" she started, and hesitated. He was waiting expectantly, probably hoping she would finish up so he could get on to his appointment, so she swallowed and took a deep breath. "I'm not just saying this because he's my boss, but Gill is—really good at this. I'm sure you're feeling a lot of stress, but you can trust Gill." She took a deep breath again, her voice wavering a little bit. "And you can trust me. We'll do everything we can."

His shoulders relaxed as he gazed at her, wordlessly, and Mai was transfixed in his gaze. Then he smiled again, this time much broader than before. "Thanks. That means a lot, actually."

"I really mean it."

He chuckled softly. "I'm sure you do. I'd better go, though, for real. See you later, Mai." And with that he turned and left the room, the door falling shut behind him.

Mai turned and set the rest of the files on her desk, closing her eyes. Why was she so worried about him, and why did she say that? It wasn't her place to tell clients the firm would look after them; it was the solicitor's job to reassure and advise their clients. But this hadn't felt like giving her undertaking to a client. Even without so many words, this had felt like a personal promise, friend to friend. And Gene had taken it that way.

But most of all, why was her heart pounding over what should have been such a simple exchange?

…

Gill Thompson's office was spacious—at least twice the size of his own at SPR, but that wasn't really a surprise. Two chairs were set in front of the large wooden desk and a couple potted plants sat in the window. Gene couldn't help but feel a little jealous—but if he'd followed in his father's footsteps he might have also had an office with a window overlooking downtown Tokyo—or at least downtown London. But instead he'd followed in brother into this peculiar realm of parapsychology, falling into a vocation which had taken him years to realise that work could be a passion as well as a way to make a living.

"Eugene," the man greeted him, shaking his hand warmly with a firm grasp. "Good to meet you in person. I'm Gill Thompson, please, call me Gill. No need for formalities. First and foremost we want you to feel comfortable here." The tall man gestured toward the chairs. "Please, have a seat. Can we get you anything—would you like a cup of tea or coffee?"

"I'm fine, but thanks for asking."

Gill nodded and sat down. "I suppose we'd better get straight to business then. I understand you received a letter…?"

Gene retrieved it from his jacket pocket and unfolding the piece of paper, passed it to the lawyer. Gill took it and skimmed it over, frowning a little as he reached the bottom.

"First things first," the man said, setting the paper down and folding his hands in front of him, meeting Gene's gaze steadily. "I have to advise you what may be entailed in this process, how much time I may spend on your case and ultimately billing you." He passed him some papers, neatly stapled together and written in both Japanese and English. "As discussed, this initial consultation is offered to you at a reduced, set price, but going forward your appointments and my work will be charged at my hourly rate. At Jenkins Watkins & Bell, we charge for work done in increments of six minutes. Unlike other firms, we do not charge for administrative or secretarial hours—those are considered included and a part of my fee. This is all disclosed in detail in our costs agreement."

Gene nodded as he scanned the document, but couldn't help but think maybe SPR and BSPR should take this approach with their clients. Madoka and Noll both undercharged their clients, in his opinion, but he was only the assistant manager of SPR and his status at BSPR was a consultant at best.

"You don't need to sign it now—take it with you, have a read, and let me know if you have any questions." Gill said, indicating the agreement he held in his hand. "If you agree to this and formally engage our services, I will negotiate an out-of-court settlement with Ms Wright, a process which I would typically imagine to take two to four months. You must also understand it could be stretched out much longer, and generally the longer things are drawn out the more expensive it becomes for both parties. Obviously, I will do everything I can to expedite the process, and I would hope anything we would ask from you, you would also attend to in an appropriate manner so as to keep things moving."

Gill paused before continuing. "Of course, if an out-of-court settlement cannot be achieved, there will be further fees from our firm as well as court fees to be incurred. This would likely draw the process out to eighteen months at a very minimum, as there are delays through the court—hearing dates and processing times, etcetera etcetera. At that point you may also wish to engage a Senior Counsel from our London office to assist me with or to take over your case." The lawyer smiled, then, thinly and without mirth. "But let's hope things don't come to that."

"There are some other things you need to be aware of, which is now that she has a solicitor and should you engage me to act on your behalf, there should be no further contact between the two of you." Gill waved his hand slightly. "This may not be applicable in your circumstances, but say you suddenly you remember that Ms Wright has some of your personal belongings in her possession. Come to me first, as unfortunately I will have to request her agreement through her lawyer before you can retrieve them. Likewise, if she contacts you—about anything—it is in your best interests not to respond."

"We haven't had any contact since August. Well, before this," Gene said, tipping his head toward the letter which lay on the table.

Gill gave a short nod. "I won't beat around the bush about your situation. In our brief conversation the other day you said you weren't married, correct?"

"That's right."

"Japan doesn't recognise de facto relationships, which means they intend to use UK law as the basis of their argument—there's nothing else they could possibly do." The frown returned to Gill's face, but only for a moment before it disappeared again. "You said you'd broken up officially…when? August? And this was when you became aware she was involved in an affair?"

Gene nodded and Gill pursed his lips. "So they must dispute the date of the breakdown of the relationship. I can't see any other way to get around it. If they did progress things, it would look very poor on their part. This will sound terribly insensitive of me and I apologise, but I have to ask. Is there any way she _could_ have broken up with you and you refused to acknowledge it?"

"I don't think so. It was never official until—that day," Gene said, hesitating a little. "Although she had mentioned a trial separation. Taking a break. That sort of thing. I don't remember her words exactly."

"Verbally?"

"We never talked about it. She left me a voicemail when I was at work. Actually, I think she sent me a text, too. I probably still have it on my phone."

"Good. We may need that." Gill leaned back slightly in his seat. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. This," he held up the letter from the desk, "is basically a formality. Once we confirm with Roberts Jones & Halloran that we are acting on your behalf—which I have drafted and will send as soon as you instruct me to do so—they will send a second letter setting out certain facts they believe to be the basis of their case and requesting a certain amount of financial disclosure from you. Her—or I should say, their—position is that the contributions in the relationship weren't equal and therefore she is entitled to certain compensation—some sort of split of the assets you accumulated together. What exactly they think that split should be, we'll just have to wait and see."

Gene shook his head in disbelief. "We didn't have any shared accounts."

"What about rent?"

Gene paused. "I moved in to her apartment, and while she'd asked me to contribute to costs I don't think it was fifty-fifty. I think she wanted to think of the place as 'hers', so she didn't even ask me to split it evenly."

Gill nodded. "Surely there were other things you contributed to the relationship, financial or otherwise…? It may sound inconsequential, but even domestic duties are taken into account in these matters."

"When we went out to eat I think I would pay most of the time, and when I was at home I did a lot of cooking. Annie… my ex," he corrected, somehow reluctant to call her by name, "hated cooking and household chores. I would do a lot of the tidying up and washing, take her clothes to the cleaners, that kind of thing."

"Ah, yes, you did mention you travel quite a lot in your line of work." Gill tapped his finger against chin, and stared out the window, a few moments longer than Gene was expecting. Probably still processing the fact that his client was a professional psychic, Gene thought, though whether that was a profession worthy of derision to this lawyer he had no idea.

"Do you know how your salary compares to hers?"

"Probably pretty similar. I might've been making a little more when we first started dating, but I know she got a raise a few times while we were together, moving up in her company."

"While your income has remained steady?" Gene nodded and Gill continued. "What about assets? Either of you have a car?"

Gene shook his head, and then swallowed. "I do think…" he didn't want to say it but forced himself to push forward. "I'm independent, but my family is probably considerably more wealthy than hers is. I don't know if that matters."

"Ah." Gill nodded thoughtfully. "You didn't come into any inheritances while you were together, or since?"

"What? No, not at all."

"And are you aware of your parents' estate planning? Any bequests you would expect should they pass away?"

Gene shook his head. "They've never.. said anything directly about their wills. I would imagine once they did pass, there would be some donations to some non-profits my mother is pretty active in. The rest would be split between myself and my brother."

"Your only sibling?"

"Yes."

"Younger? Older?"

A smile twitched at Gene's lips as he evaded the question, the way they always would. "Twins."

"Really?" Gill's eyes lit up. What was it about twins that enamoured people so much, Gene wondered. Everywhere he went, anyone he told, it was always the same response, that same awe and near-disbelief and sometimes even envy. It was as if everyone wanted to have their very own twin and Gene had been bestowed some great blessing of the universe to have one that he didn't truly appreciate, having never lived a life without a twin.

"Before we go any further, do you have any questions for me?" Gill had taken out a notepad and a small sound recorder sat next to his pen. "Because I'm afraid I will be asking you a lot of questions, and I would hate for yours to go unanswered."

"Not.. yet," Gene managed, and as he uttered the words it was as if he had only just fully realised what he had gotten himself into. No wonder Noll and Madoka and his mother were worried about him.

"And do I have your instructions to contact Robert Jones on your behalf?" No sooner than Gene had said yes, Gill had picked up his phone. "Mai—yes. Please send the letter to Robert Jones. Very good. Thank you."

Gill set down the phone and picked up his pen with one hand and the recorder in the other. "Now. Let's get started…"

…

It was close to the end of the work day when there was a tap on Mai's door and Gill pushed it open, carrying a file.

"Here's the Davis file," he said as he passed it to her, and took a step back to sit against one of her filing cabinets. He looked tired, and she didn't blame him—he'd accepted two walk-in appointments from clients that afternoon, something she knew he didn't like to do, especially when he'd set the time aside to do other work. She hadn't seen him since before Gene's appointment, with the exception of bringing in tea and coffee to one of his afternoon clients.

"I gave him the initial engagement letter during our appointment and he's emailed back the signed costs agreement. I've flagged it, if you don't mind just filing it in the system so I don't lose it down the track."

"Of course."

"You may have seen that Robert Jones already sent their response after you sent our letter this morning," Gill said with a sigh. "I called Eugene earlier and have drafted a reply, if you can type that up for me right away. It's still a bit messy—sorry—and needs a bit of work. I need to make sure I get just the right approach and lay out certain facts without exacerbating the problem."

Mai sensed he wasn't done talking so she waited. Gill sighed, then, taking off his thin rimmed glasses and rubbing his forehead with his hand. "There must be pressure from their client to commence proceedings, but they'll have to go after us under UK law. It's a bit unusual, considering the circumstances, but it ultimately means they can only take us to court as a last resort—which is a good thing for us."

Mai nodded. Although she hadn't really thought about it, she'd already come to the same conclusion, knowing that Japanese law couldn't be used against him as the two hadn't been married.

"Unfortunately it's Beck acting for her, she's always very aggressive." Gill continued. "I'd be a little less concerned if it was anyone else at Robert Jones, but Beck can be… well, you know. Unpredictable."

Mai grimaced, having also noted the signature on the bottom of the letter when Gene had shown it to her. Karina Beck was definitely not her favourite solicitor of all those she came across in her time working for the firm, and her legal secretary was _definitely_ her least favourite of all the secretaries in the city as he was mean and rude when he had no reason to be.

"I wouldn't want to give them any leeway with anything, not even the chance to say we're holding things up…" Gill continued.

Mai knew what he was getting at. "I'll type it right now and have it done before the end of the day."

"Thank you. If you can do that I should be able to have a pretty good draft by morning. It would be good to get it out tomorrow." He smiled thinly. "Then we'll see what we're really up against."

Mai nodded and took a deep breath. She always hated to do this. "I know this is important too, but have you finished proofing the Ikeda documents? He's coming in tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, yes, I'll have it done by then." But it was clear her boss wasn't thinking about Ikeda at all as he touched the end of his glasses to his chin. "Poor chap. He's quite a nice fellow. Too young to be dragged into our usual line of work. I'll need to dictate an email to him as well, but I told him it wouldn't go out until tomorrow morning." He straightened and slid the glasses back over his nose. "Anyway. I'll let you get to it, if you could just drop the file into my office on your way out tonight."

"Will do."

Mai opened the file and set it out on the desk as she pulled the headphones over her ears, fingers at the keyboard as she readied to transcribe the verbal notes Gill had taken before, during, and after the appointment. As she listened, and as the lawyer began to speak, she began to type, fingers flying over the keys.

She had been typing steadily for a few minutes when she suddenly stopped, colour draining from her face. Slowly, she began to type again, shaking her head back and forth.

How could any person be so cruel?

And how could she face Gene, at Ayako's party in three weeks or in any capacity outside of work when she now knew these things about him? Things she should never know about another person's private life?

…

As requested, on her way out of the office that evening Mai took the file to Gill's office. The door was open but the room was empty, so Mai left the file on his desk and put a sticky note on the letter draft highlighting the two questions she'd wanted to query.

Tuesday nights Mai attended a weekly aikido class at a dojo not far from her own neighbourhood, which she'd been attending diligently ever since she joined in her first year of university. Even then, it hadn't been new to her. Her father had been an aikido champion in high school and had both taken her to classes and practiced with her at home until his death. She had been ten years old and terribly stubborn, so even though her mother had tried to persuade her against it she'd dropped out immediately. She hadn't picked it up again until nearly a decade later, but the motions and movements had come back easily.

Now Mai enjoyed aikido and found it almost meditative, as she could turn her focus completely onto her body and the repetition of the movements and everything else retreated to the furthest reaches of her mind. She enjoyed the exercise and the rhythms, enjoyed making new friends at the dojo who were completely outside her normal social group, but avoided the hand-to-hand sparring that so many of the younger, usually male, students looked forward to with such anticipation. Despite the routine she'd developed, it had never felt like part of her own identity—more so she was holding on to someone else's, holding something back from slipping away into the distant past. She came to this realisation after the class had finished, as she remembered that when Gene had asked her about herself aikido hadn't even come to mind.

The second half of Mai's weekly Tuesday routine was going to the nearby public bath after her class, where she treated herself to a good scrub and a leisurely soak: a luxury as she did not have a bathtub in her small apartment.

She was putting her clothes away in the locker in the changing room when a figure came up to her with bright eyes and a huge grin, holding only a small towel over herself but not the least bit self-conscious. "Mai, it's been ages! How have you been?"

"Juuri, it's been a while!" It was perhaps strange that the public bathwas where she always ran into this particular acquaintance, but then again, perhaps not strange at all. Juuri lived in the next neighbourhood over with her parents and her family had been long-time customers of this public bath ever since it first opened its doors some fifty-odd years ago. Juuri was two years younger than her and was a grad school student at Todai. How had they actually struck up a conversation the first time? She couldn't remember. "I haven't seen you in a few weeks! You've been well?"

"Yeah, I know, I've been busy with class and haven't been able to come at the usual time." Juuri sighed dramatically as they made their way into the steamy shower room, hanging their towels up as they took pink plastic stools and sat down in front of two available showers, sitting away from the other women. They weren't the only women chatting, however, as there was a group of three who were laughing together loudly as well as a mother talking with her young daughter.

"I've actually been dying to tell you this, you'll never guess who I met!" Juuri said as soon as they turned the water on. She didn't wait a beat for Mai to reply, blurting out, "Masako Hara! Can you believe it?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently my brother's friend works with her. Crazy I haven't found out until now. I guess the three of them went out together after they finished some sort of big assignment, and since they were close to the university my brother texted me to tell me to meet him there on my way home. And when I went to see him there she was!" Juuri sighed, lathering up her long hair with shampoo. "She is so much more beautiful in real life, Mai, you wouldn't believe."

Mai laughed. "So you finally met your celebrity crush! What was she like?"

Juuri sighed and shut off the water. "She's really… demure. Like, super feminine. And obviously I knew it would be, but her style is _so_ gorgeous. I guess I wasn't thinking it would be when she was just out and about, but she looked like she'd stepped out of one of her magazine shoots. I hope I get to see her again. I wish my brother was into girls and he could bring her home."

"Sounds like you would like to take her home," Mai teased. "Here, I'll scrub your back."

"Oh—thanks." Juuri blushed. "Well, you know _that's_ never going to happen." She drifted into silence, a pensive look settling over her features, so Mai changed the subject.

"How did your big project at the Institute go?"

"Yeah, really good! I must have finished a week or two ago. My advisor gave me really good feedback, and I met one of the curators of the museum who kind of hinted they might have a new position opening which I should apply for."

"That's amazing, Juuri."

"I guess so. Nothing's for sure yet of course. The new position hasn't been confirmed and I don't know if the timing would work out once it is, or if I could even be a finalist. I'm sure a lot of people would want it."

"How are the rest of your classes going? You must be really busy this time of year."

"Yeah, I've got another big report due before the New Year, so I've been working really hard."

"What's the topic?"

"It's about the transition from gold _koban_ and _ryo_ to yen during the Meiji restoration and the implications that had on the elite upper class purchasing luxury items, if that doesn't sound thrilling and enlightening." Juuri giggled. "Want to hear more about it?"

"I'm all ears." Mai grinned.

"I'm only kidding. I'm sure it's too boring and I wouldn't do that to you."

Now that they were both washed, they shut off the water and left the shower area to go to the bath. Mai sighed in contentment as she sank down into the hot water, feeling her entire body relax.

"You look like you've been stressed," Juuri observed, folding her small towel and placing it carefully on the top of her head. "Work treating you okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay," Mai said, closing her eyes. "Same old same old."

"That doesn't sound very good."

"Well, there's always something stressful. That's why I do aikido and come here once a week."

"I've told you my brother does yoga, right? He says it does wonders for his stress at work." Juuri laughed. "Though to be honest I think the only reason he signed up initially because he was interested in the instructor. Maybe I should try something like that." She sighed. "Once a week isn't enough though. I'd say you should come more often, isn't this just a ten minute walk from your place? But I'm one to talk. I haven't been in a month. We have a bath at home, but it isn't the same."

"Tell me about your report on _koban_ and _ryo_. Seriously, I want to hear about it." Mai said, hoping to change the subject. It worked, and while it was obvious Juuri was trying not to bore her with the details, it was something she was excited about and so they chatted for a while about her graduate program before moving on to Juuri's part-time job over Christmas, working at the sake shop next door.

When they finally got out of the bath, pink skinned from the heat, Juuri's cheeks flushed an even brighter red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I've just been talking about myself and I've hardly asked you how you've been."

"Don't be silly," Mai laughed as she towelled off and dressed. To be honest, she was grateful she hadn't had to talk about herself, that for once she didn't have to think about herself or her own problems. "I've got nothing interesting to say, and I like hearing about what you're up to."

After they had dried their hair, the two exited the changing room and walked out into the main waiting area.

"Oh, there's my brother. He must have finished first," Juuri said, lifting her hand toward a figure who was seated, reading on one of the benches.

"Have you met my brother before?" Juuri asked as they approached him. "Big bro, this is my friend, Taniyama Mai."

The young man rose to his feet. His hair, still damp from the bath, was a shade lighter than Juuri's and he wore thin rimmed glasses, but otherwise the two looked remarkably similar, even for siblings. He was a head taller than his younger sister, however, and from all Juuri had spoken about him he didn't quite fit the image in Mai's head. He was dressed conservatively with a collared shirt beneath his winter coat, which was contrasted with a pair of crocs on his feet.

"Yasuhara Osamu. No, I don't think we've met," he introduced himself and gave a short, polite bow. But he was giving her a quizzical look that gave Mai the impression Juuri had mentioned her name before but he couldn't remember if they actually had or hadn't met.

"Nice to meet you," Mai said, returning the bow.

"I'm going to get a juice before we go, do you want anything?" Juuri offered, gesturing toward the vending machines on the opposite end of the room.

"Get me one too," Osamu said. He turned back to Mai as his sister left. "So you're Juuri's bath buddy," he laughed. "She's told me she has a friend she always catches up with here. So you must be her."

"It's nice to finally meet you. Juuri talks a lot about you."

"Does she?" His eyes twinkled behind his glasses, and Mai couldn't tell if the tone was mocking or not. "So what do you do, Taniyama-san?"

"I'm a secretary, at a law firm."

"Is that so?" For some reason he seemed visibly relieved at her answer, but Mai, for the life of her, couldn't figure out why.

"What about you? I don't think Juuri's ever told me."

"I'm afraid I'm just a humble low-level clerk at the prefectural office." He made a sweeping motion with his hand, a pantomime of a bow. "However anything I can do for you in that capacity and I am at your service."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep," Juuri warned as she returned with the juice, tossing a bottle to her brother. "Here you go. Are you coming for dinner tonight?"

"Am I invited?" Osamu drawled.

She punched his shoulder lightly. "Don't say that. Of course you are."

"If you insist."

"Well, _if_ you don't have other plans."

"And miss out on Mom's tonkatsu? I don't think so."

"It might be curry rice."

"It's Tuesday, isn't it? Mom is always predictable. Always tonkatsu on Tuesdays."

Mai couldn't help but smile as she watched the two siblings together and followed them out to the street. It hadn't only been pleasantries—Juuri truly did speak highly of her brother, and Mai was happy she was able to see the two together at last. It was obvious they were very close.

"Which way are you headed?" Osamu asked her as he zipped up his jacket.

"I'm headed this way," Mai jabbed a finger to the left, knowing it was the opposite for them.

"Not far, I hope?"

"No, it's close." Mai waved at Juuri as she turned. "Maybe I'll see you next week?"

"Definitely!"

"And keep me updated!" Mai winked.

"You're not still going on about Masako Hara, are you?" Osamu asked, wrinkling his nose. "She's not even that pretty. I mean, maybe pretty compared to you—"

"Bro!" Juuri cried, hitting his arm. "You are so mean!"

Mai couldn't help but laugh as she walked down the street, and for the first time all day some of the lightness returned to her heart. She sighed and looked up at the night sky, at the one star visible above the bright city lights. Mai smiled at the small twinkling pinpoint of light, and it winked back at her in return.

…

Gene gazed out the window as the train sped along through sleepy towns, trying to imagine the lives of the people inside the few houses which still had lights on at this hour, or who it was inside the few cars he saw driving along the narrow roads before they disappeared out of view. He'd once thought that the world was simply filled with normal people just like him, going about their business, and the thought had filled him with wonder and complete incomprehension. Then he realised the sentence was true but for the "just like him"— _the world was filled with normal people going about their business_. Somehow the statement lost some of its wonder when he excluded himself from the sum of the parts.

They'd had a slight change of plans and had the equipment ready to pick up by the courier much earlier than expected. Being ahead of schedule in this way was always a good thing, but it also meant he had to scramble to pack his own personal belongings so that he could make the evening overnight train to Oita. When Madoka had received the new ETA from the courier company, she'd asked him if he would be ready to catch the train and then pointed at the door without even waiting for an answer. He also had an inkling she was irritated with him as he'd refused to talk about his morning appointment, compounded with the fact he'd had to retreat into his office that afternoon to take a call from his lawyer, when Madoka had hoped he'd be able to go over the case with Chiaki.

Now it was past midnight and he was seated in the lounge area of the sleeper car, one of only a few people who hadn't retired to their cabins. While he knew he should try to get some sleep, he just wasn't tired. " _Everything's just downhill from here_ ", Madoka would always say on the first day of their cases, but it felt more true today than ever before. Despite the appointment, despite the afternoon phone call, he was still in denial. Even he could recognise this.

 _You're being ridiculous_ , his brother would say. _It's obvious you can't run away from this problem, so why not face it head on?_ Well, that was probably less accurate. Noll was more likely to ridicule him over his desire to run away. But then again, Noll's behaviour the other day had come as a surprise, so maybe it wasn't that far off.

Bolstered by this imaginary encouragement, Gene leaned back in his seat and allowed himself to think, allowed his thoughts to wander past the blockade of his own making, and allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that things were, in fact, not very good. And that would be putting it mildly, to say the least.

Despite his situation, he did feel as though he were in good hands. He appreciated Gill's straightforwardness, the way he had explained the process from both sides of the spectrum, had laid out the situation as he saw it from the facts he had, and his courteous and professional manner as they went through the long list of questions he needed Gene to answer.

And even though it was bad timing— _There never is a good time for these sorts of things,_ his brother reminded him—Gene did appreciate that Gill had called him as soon as he had received the letter from Annie's lawyer. He knew Gill was busy, was fully aware he had called him in a spare moment between clients that afternoon. But knowing there was someone capable he could trust quelled a lot of the uneasiness he felt.

The letter from Robert Jones was just as Gill had predicted: requesting certain records and disclosure from him as a way to prove his material worth. It also made certain claims that made Gene go red in the face and voice his protests. Allegations about his own behaviour, claims of impropriety and drunkenness and abuse.

Most of it was lies, but the worst part was that some of it was true. Taken out of context, but true. It had been a bad breakup and he was ashamed now of some of his immature behaviour during that summer. They'd had their share of shouting matches, and while he didn't remember anything he'd actually said he was sure he'd cursed her, in English and Japanese and French, which she always took as a personal affront, no matter what he said as she didn't _parle français_. But physical abuse? He'd never raised his hand against any living person, not even when the woman he'd thought he'd loved had turned his feelings into hate.

And the allegation of sexual misconduct? He'd never let his eyes or mind wander when they were together, and as far as their own relationship, Luella had drilled asking for consent into his adolescent brain so hard that he had still asked for permission to hug her, years into their relationship when most couples could just hold hands and embrace and know it was okay, let alone anything further. Saying that there had been times he'd forced himself on her, it made his blood boil in anger. _It was just not true. He had always asked. Always asked if she wanted it. Always backed down when she said she didn't._ And to now say all these things, to have her lawyer spin truths into lies so that they could use their breakup against him. As if he'd been the only one to behave poorly. _As if she hadn't been fucking another man when he'd come home that night._ If she'd truly broken up with him already, why hadn't she changed the locks?

It hurt. It hurt a lot.

Gill advised the first order of business would be to address certain matters in the letter first and set the record straight, prove that untrue allegations couldn't just be made off the cuff without rebuke. They would of course provide the information the lawyer requested without delay, but this was somewhat less urgent. _Their client hasn't provided any disclosure despite their demands for the same of you,_ Gill said, _but as a gesture of goodwill I recommend you compile your bank and credit card statements and forward copies of your pay checks from the last three months to me as soon as you can_. They would then wait for her to put the initial offer to him. Depending on what she came back with would affect how they moved forward. He would be firm, Gill had assured him, but it was a fine line to balance to ensure he got the outcome Gene deserved without pressing so hard that the other lawyer would advise her client to take him to court.

Gene had asked outright if Gill thought Annie even had a chance if she were to take the matter further. _Given what I know of the situation, no._ Gill had said, solemnly and truthfully. _Of course, there may be factors—something you don't even realise yet, of course, which could tip the scales in her favour. But as it stands, I don't think she has a chance in court. I think it's merely a threat. Saying that, knowing her bluff doesn't necessarily stop them from going forward._

 _So even if I refuse to—give her anything, or do anything at all—she would still take me to court?_

 _Sadly, yes_ , Gill had replied. _Because she knows it would be expensive enough that you would settle to get out of it. Hoping you would rather settle than fight her for it._

To which Gene had muttered aloud, _this is so fucked up._

And Gill had laughed, though it was not in an unkind way. _I'm very sorry to say that it is. But that's what I'm here for._

Gill must think him naïve, Gene thought, as the lawyer had simply smiled and shaken his head when Gene had offered to pay Annie some sum to ask her to drop the whole thing. _That's not how it works_ , he had said. _Maybe if it was just between the two of you, but what you would see as a gesture of goodwill would be seen by her lawyer as trying to take some easy way out. If you readily offer some amount of money—her lawyer will take that to mean you have some other asset you're trying to protect._ _They'll ask for more, they'll increase their demands._ Gill had shaken his head _. No, it's better to see what they propose and negotiate it down, even if you consider it a fair offer. Depending on how they put it to us, it's not always best to agree straightaway._

Gene closed his eyes, trying to relax the furrow he felt in his brow. Gill had asked him how patient Annie was, and didn't seem surprised to hear she was impatient, nodding as if this only confirmed something he had already known. No wonder Martin didn't touch family law, it seemed to be more about psychology before the actual laws. In some ways it was a game of attrition, seeing who would be the first to give in and trying to guess what the true motives of the other party were.

 _We can work that to our favour,_ Gill had said. _And—while I understand this is an extremely unpleasant point for you—we can also work to our favour the fact she was cheating on you. Even if she insists your relationship had already broken down at the time, the fact is that she had never articulated this to you, no matter how strained the circumstances may have been. And you have emails and text messages from that time that prove you still thought you were in the relationship, and that she did nothing to refute this._

Gene opened his eyes and then allowed his thoughts to drift from his lawyer to his lawyer's secretary. Knowing she would be privy to everything that had happened in those months made a dull weight to settle in his chest. He didn't want her pity for how Annie had treated him and he certainly wasn't proud of some of his own behaviour during their breakup. He was ashamed to think Mai would know about all of it. _I'm not like that,_ he wanted to explain. _That wasn't me_. After all, he'd never broken out of what he had considered a long-term commitment before. Why did she have to be _Gill's_ secretary, of all things?

But that was ridiculous, after all. They'd only met because of all of this, because he'd received that stupid letter from Annie's lawyer and of course the first firm he thought to go to was the Tokyo office of the same firm his parents had used when trying to deal with the complicated will trusts his grandparents had left behind. While it was possible he would have met Mai eventually due to their mutual acquaintances, how many years had Ayako been offering her services as a part-time priestess to SPR, and how many other of her friends had he met in passing? If he hadn't met Mai after all this time, how long would it have taken?

Seeing his reflection, he sighed and despite it all, couldn't help but smile. Brow furrowed, lips drawn in a tight line, he had looked exactly like Noll. Well—almost.

 _I trust your instincts,_ the frowning, brow-furrowed Noll said inside his mind. _I always have. What do your instincts tell you?_

 _Honestly?_ Gene thought. _My instincts tell me I'm in very deep shit._

* * *

 _a/n:_

 _oh wow it's been a while. sorry about that. I have excuses but …. let's be real, nobody wants to hear about my personal failings. My own going ons are not nearly as dire as poor Gene's but I still somehow seem to think my life is falling apart at the seams. Nor am I able to rationalise this overreaction, even whilst imagining how much worse things could be. Hm. How peculiar. (And before you get too worried, Gene's situation is not_ _that_ _dire. After all he's in pretty good hands ;) )_

 _I have a confession to make, which is that I enjoyed writing Gene's appointment with Gill the solicitor wayyyy too much. I hope it wasn't too dry and boring but I couldn't help myself (and it does kind of set out the basics for the legal side of this story, which is probably? possibly? necessary.) It's been eight months since I left my last job at a law firm. Is it weird that I miss it and the resulting family law dramas? (Probably, yes.) Anyway. When I come back and edit this chapter in a few months I'll probably try to pare it down a little bit._

 _You can thank Easter long weekend for me getting this chapter together. good job Australia with your public holidays :D (if only I lived in TAS I would have tomorrow off too but alas I do not T_T)_

 _Apologies Noll didn't make an appearance in today's chapter ;_; I wanted to see him too, but the next scene I wanted to write with him just didn't quite line up. But hey, he was there in spirit ;)_

 _Thank you so much to everyone seriously, everyone who has left a review on this story. You are all so fantastic and I probably missed sending you an individual thank you when I meant to but believe me when I say I treasure your feedback~~ merci beaucoup arigato~u_

 _See you next time! All things going well it won't take as long as this chapter did. (I got my eye on you, Anzac Day)_

 _~abbq_


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